A Gladiator's Life
by Link-the-hylian
Summary: Link is sent on a mission into the territory of Hyrule's new enemies, a civilization much like the Romans. He is captured, and forced to fight as a gladiator while trying to escape. It's done, keep an eye out for the sequel.
1. A secret assignment

AN: It's me, another random author whose stories seem to get worse as they go… but I'm determined not to let that happen here. This was sort of an idea I had while learning about Romans and gladiators and whatnot in school. I started to think about what it would be like in Zelda (yes, my mind turns everything to Zelda), and so here we are.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ZELDA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO NINTENDO. I DO OWN THIS PLOT. Woot…

"You may enter." The guard told Link. Link nodded, and entered the king's throne room. Two guards made to escort Link up to the King of Hyrule, but the king waved them away. They reluctantly allowed Link to approach. Link stopped before the steps to the king's throne and knelt.

"Link, you need never bow to me or anyone else. Rise, my boy." The king said lightly.

Link stood up. "What do you require of me?" He said in the formal tone he had heard from so many others.

"Link, you needn't sound so official. While the people of Hyrule don't know what you did for Hyrule, I do. You are not my inferior in any way. So don't talk as if you were." The king said, semi-sternly.

"Alright. What would you like?" Link asked, feeling much more at ease.

The king smiled. "Better. Anyway, I have a small assignment for you. It isn't an order. You can spit on me right here and leave if you like; I won't so much as scowl. But I think it could greatly benefit Hyrule."

Link was curious. He was 19 now, had saved Hyrule from Ganon, journeyed to and rescued Termina, fought in 2 super smash brothers tournaments, but spent the last 2 years doing simple tasks for money. It had been very boring, nothing serious happened, killing the odd stray wolfos or ambushing some petty bandits.

"Well, it involves the Jarmanians…" The king said.

Link was very interested now. The Jarmanians had recently declared war on Hyrule. They hailed from way out west, past Gerudo valley and over the massive plains that had come to be known as the blood plains. Battles were fought here almost constantly between invading Jarmanian armies and armies of Hylians and Gerudos. No one knew quite why the Jarmanians declared war, but most people thought it was simple greed for land. Either way, they proved a challenging foe. They had seemingly endless waves of soldiers, and while their main city had only been glimpsed from afar, they had buildings of some smooth white stone. They carried weapons of pure steel, and every troop had iron chainmail or better.

"How so?" Link asked.

"Well, Very few know what I am about to tell you. But the war… is not going so well. I believe Hyrule could fall within a year at the most. Our soldiers seem to be better trained, but they aren't as plentiful or as well equipped. They seem to have infinite metal, and men. Did you never wonder why I didn't request that you join the armies? It was because I knew you could be of more use then throwing your life away on the great plains… or blood fields, as they are appropriately called. I would rather you slip into enemy territory, and learn what you can about the city. Destroy some things if you can, but more importantly gather information and report back. Take no unnecessary risks. Take whatever time you need, but I would like you to head back within 3 weeks. Eventually people will notice your Hylian ears. Try to hide them under a hood or something for as long as possible. That is, if you go." He added hastily.

Link didn't have to think about it. If Hyrule truly was in danger, there was only one choice. "I'll go. When do I leave?"

"Well, today, if possible. Take your horse to Gerudo valley, but leave her with the Gerudos. I have informed Nabooru that you may be coming. They will give you a camel, which you can take to the end of the desert. When you reach blood plains, proceed on foot. There shouldn't be any big battles, just avoid the small skirmishes. I will give you a map, use it to find a path on the other side of the plains that will take you to the entrance to their country, which is also their main city, Jarman. A disguise is worthless; they will make sure you are not Hylian. I'm sure your hookshot can find a way over the wall. From there, you are pretty much winging it." The king explained. "This mission is… very important. It is imperative that you complete it. Therefore, I have decided… you should take the Master Sword with you."

This last bit surprised Link. "Wouldn't that free Ganon?" He asked.

"Normally yes… but my daughter Zelda will accompany you to the temple of time. There is an ancient, complex magical seal she can place on the pedestal. If she does it correctly, and I have complete confidence that she will, it will keep the seal holding Ganon in the void intact as if the sword were there." The king stated.

Link nodded.

The king handed him a map. He then summoned a guard.

"Bring my daughter to the main hall to meet Link." He instructed the guard, who snapped off a crisp salute and ran out. "Alright Link. Zelda will meet you outside of here, and then you can go to the temple. Remember the plan, and use the map. I hope to see you soon, my boy. Good luck."

Link inclined his head in thanks, and ran out of the hall. Zelda was already waiting for him. "Hello Link," she said, smiling.

Link smiled back, and nodded hello.

"You still don't say much, do you," Zelda said, laughing. "Come on, I guess we better get going."

They walked along towards the temple of Time, Zelda chattering away and Link just listening. He liked it that way. He found listening so much more interesting then talking. They were soon at the temple; it wasn't far from the castle. As they entered, Zelda steadily got quieter. They approached to Master Sword, looking just as Link remembered it.

Link reached for it without thinking, feeling a sudden urge to hold it again, to feel its weight. Zelda grabbed his hands. He backed off, a little embarrassed. She stepped behind the sword, and held her hands over it. She began to chant in a foreign language. With each syllable, a glow appeared under her hands. The light started to shoot down the sword into the pedestal, which glowed golden. She stopped chanting and just held her hands there, still sending light down the sword.

"Take it now." She said calmly.

Link reached for the sword, clasped his hands around it. He wrenched up, and the sword came free. The pedestal stopped glowing, but the triforce engraved into it continued to glow gold. There was also a glowing golden wall in the slit the sword fit into. Zelda exhaled softly.

"I worked." She said, sounding relieved.

They headed out, and stopped at the market. Link got his horse from the public stable.

"Well… goodbye I guess. Link… try to come back safely. And good luck."

He smiled and nodded once. He mounted Epona. "Bye… I'll see you soon." Link said, riding off quickly. Zelda bit her lip, waving, then turned and headed back.


	2. The Capture

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: Wow, 4 reviews on the first chapter! I must be on to something. Anyway, I think I'm going to start responding to my reviews here, some other authors do. I'll stop if my amount of reviews gets out of control (I doubt that will happen, lol.)**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks, I'm glad you found this; you left the most reviews on my other story. Also, I was trying to keep everyone more in character, so I'm glad someone noticed!**

**Spiritual Stone: Thanks for the review, and you're in luck, because this chapter's all about the journey there. I only posted the other one because I wanted to see how people liked the idea.**

**Digital Skitty: oops, thanks for the tip. I try to make my stories look good so I don't look stupid . I'm glad you like it so far. Oh, and this takes place after Ocarina of Time and Majora's mask. There probably won't be anything from Twilight Princess.**

**SnowdogTP: Glad you're interested, thanks for the compliment!**

Link rode long and hard over the field. He pushed Epona into a gallop whenever he could. He arrived at Gerudo Valley in 3 hours, and crossed the bridge quickly. He slowed Epona into an easy trot, and approached the Gerudo fortress.

"Halt!" A guard yelled, approaching him. He pulled out a small membership card made of parchment on wood.

"Oh! Sorry. You must be Link. We are to take care of your horse." She snapped her fingers, and two other Gerudos approached. Link dismounted, and they led Epona to their stables. "Come with me. I am to take you to Nabooru." The first guard said.

Link followed her into the fort. He was taken to Nabooru's room.

"Link! Nice to see you again." Nabooru said in her bold, accented voice.

Link smiled, "good to see you too."

"So, off to Jarmania, hmm? About time someone as competent as you was sent. I'm losing a lot of women out there. Come with me, I am to give you a camel." She said, walking past him and out the door. Link followed her.

She took him to a separate stable. Inside was over a dozen camels, animals much more capable of crossing the desert area than horses. Nabooru brought a big, strong looking one over to Link. "His name is Machino." She said.

Link eyed the hump suspiciously. Nabooru laughed. "If you don't want to… hurt yourself, you should probably get on in front of that."

Link smiled, a bit embarrassed, and hopped on in front of the hump, near the neck.

"You should leave immediately. When you get to the end of the desert, there is a mountain range with a few passes getting you to the other side, the blood fields. Go to the pass, and then dismount. Machino will find a way back. Good luck." Nabooru said. Link rode out, and waved. He then took off into the haunted wasteland, heading west.

The camel was able to navigate the sand without any issues. Link pretty much just covered his eyes with the green hood he took with him, which was normally for cold weather. Soon the wind died down, and the sand stopped flying. Link lowered his hood, and gazed out onto the rest of the desert. He kicked the camel gently, and it loped off through the calm sands.

It was an uneventful, 2 day journey. He camped with some Gerudos who were also headed to war in the blood fields, and they gave him food and a place to sleep. He left early the next day, and found a pathway through the mountains using his map. He dismounted the camel, and patted it on the nose. "Good job." He told it softly, before walking away. The camel headed back the way they had came.

As soon as he came to the other side of the mountain, his eyes were shocked at the green fields after seeing all that sand. The plains were flat and had few trees, and he could just barely see the tree line many kilometers away on the other side. He saw motion in a few places, soldiers marching or fighting. He jogged out onto the field, and ran straight west.

He met little resistance, but 2 hours in he saw a small group of Hylian knights losing to a bigger group of Jarmanian soldiers. He was about to head around them, but stopped. He sighed. He couldn't just leave them to die. He drew his sword and shield, and ran into the fray. He slashed one Jarmanian faster then he could block, and then ducked another one's slash, coming up with his shield extended, hitting him on the chin. He fell back, and Link jumped, plunging his sword into the man's chest. Link felt a twinge of remorse, but he knew from experience it came down to his life or his opponent's life. The other soldiers were heartened by the appearance of this strong new warrior, and they killed every Jarmanian except one, who escaped to report back to his leader. Before the guards could say much to him, Link headed off again.

He came to the trees in another couple of hours, and found the path to Jarmania. He headed down the path for about half an hour before he spied a great, white gate in the distance. He headed off the path, walking parallel to the wall. A good distance away, and out of sight from any guards, he approached it. There were guards on top of the wall. He pulled out his bow. He fired 2 shots. Each one found its mark on a guard's neck. They tumbled off the wall noiselessly, as Link had hoped. He pulled out his hookshot, and latched onto a wooden crate on top of the wall. It was big and heavy, and easily supported his weight. He was pulled up onto the wall. He stowed his hookshot, and leapt off the other side of the wall, rolling as he hit the ground. He stood up quickly, and walked into the center of town, an area much like the market, but bigger. He strode casually among, looking at the smooth white stone all the buildings were made of. He picked a random path leading away. It led him through a residential area, then into another market-like area. This one was even bigger, and in the middle was a massive, 5 story high, round building. It was also white. People were heading to it, referring to it as "the coliseum."

He walked past it, and followed another path. This led through a quiet area, filled with peaceful gardens and fountains. A few people wandered through it. Link was just looking at one fountain when a piece of cloth was put over his face from behind. He breathed in, surprised, and his vision went blurry. He elbowed backward, and someone grunted, falling. The cloth was removed. He stumbled away, turning around. A few unarmored guards carrying small swords and bits of heavily scented cloth were approaching. He couldn't tell how many, because his vision kept doubling and tripling. He realized thickly that he had forgotten to put his hood on, and was just wearing his pointy hat. He tried to run, but stumbled and fell. One of the guards swooped down, cloth raised, but Link kicked him in the shin and he fell. Two guards grabbed his arms and legs, and another put a cloth to his face. He held his breath and struggled, but soon he breathed some in. The world melted away, and he felt all his strength ebb. Then the world went black.

**AN: Another short chapter… maybe that's just how I write. Please review! **


	3. Gladiator, Day 1

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: Man, I can't stop updating this. Don't worry those who are also reading my Super Smash Brothers story, I will update it eventually.**

**Review Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Yeah, poor Link… I actually sat for a long time thinking about how he would be captured, and that was all I came up with.**

**Spiritual Stone: Yeah, I can see where that would be confusing. Trust me; I plan to explain some things.**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: I must have missed you last chapter, sorry. Anyway, you can write your own story if you want, I won't accuse you of copying. If you'd rather not, I'll listen to any ideas you want to share, and I will give credit if I use any. And thanks for the compliment! **

Link awoke groggily. He had no idea where he was, and his vision was all blurry. He tried to stand, but fell back down. He closed his eyes and forced himself to stay still. He siphoned a bit of his magic power into healing a bit. He opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry, but he felt less dizzy. He used a wall he was lying against to stand up. He was in a prison cell, made of dank, grey stone. None of that fancy white stuff. With that last thought, his memory returned. He had been in Jarmania, trying to learn what he could. He was attacked, and drugged. Which raised a new question. Why was he drugged and captured, not killed? A guard walked by and peeked in.

"Ah, you're awake." The guard said flatly. He called over a couple of his buddies. He opened the door. "Come with us." He told Link. The guards tied Link's arms behind his back. He didn't resist, he had no energy. He was brought out, and taken down the hallway to a door at the end. The two guards brought him in and sat him down in a chair. His legs were tied to the chair leg. The room was small and square, and just as grey and drab as the cells. A man was looking at him from the other side of the room. He was pale, with very short, black hair. He was also short, about 5 feet. He was kind of flabby, weak looking.

"Alright. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Answer and you will be released. If you don't, you die. First, what's you're name?" He said, getting right to the point.

Link glared at him, silent.

The flabby man sighed. "We know you are a Hylian. Your deranged ears tell us that. Why are you here? Did you hope to destroy us from the inside? Our man told us you were strong, but that is impossible."

Link looked up sharply.

The flabby man laughed. "That's right; the soldier that escaped from the fight you interfered with. He came straight to me. He told me of you. We have spies in Hyrule, which is what I presume was your job. Ours are more competent, they tend to remember to wear a disguise. We think we may know something of your identity. So I ask you again; who are you?"

"If I wasn't tied to this I could snap your neck." Link stated, hoping to intimidate him.

It didn't work. The man laughed. "That may be, but it proves how limited your strength is. There are other types of power, besides brute force. But I see you will not cooperate. Kill him."

The guards approached, swords drawn. "Wait," The man said, smiling cruelly, "Take him to the coliseum. We could use another gladiator."

Link didn't know what a gladiator was, but he didn't like the sounds of it. He was untied from the chair. The guards brought him to the exit of the prison and led him to a horse drawn carriage. He was put in the carriage, tied up, and left in there with four new guards. The carriage started moving. Link wondered if he could pull a Din's fire. Probably not. He needed hand motions as well, and bound as he was that was impossible. He cursed himself for forgetting his hood. He could solve puzzles and avoid deadly traps throughout countless temples, but he has to do ONE thing, put on a hood, and he forgets.

The carriage rolled to a stop. His feet were untied, and he was taken out. He was back near the coliseum. He was taken inside, and down a flight of stairs into a basement. He was tossed into another cell, untied, and left without any explanation. He tested the bars, but they were all strong. A little while later, a man walked up to his cell. This one had red hair about the length of Link's, and was over 6 feet tall, muscular.

"Hello. I am Bruce. I am here to tell you of your new life as a gladiator." The man said. "You're a fighter here now, and your job is to please the audience. You will be pitted against other gladiators or animals. You will be fed enough to keep you strong, if you do well. If you don't do well, you needn't worry about food, as you will be dead."

Link was sickened. "You force people to fight each other here to amuse a crowd?"

"Harsh words. Accurate, but harsh." Bruce said. "Your first fight is now. My superiors want to see how well you fare. I think you are far too scrawny. You could try to kill me, but I doubt you can. Either way, you would never escape this building."

He opened the door. He considered attacking the guard, who obviously underestimated him, but knew it would be useless to try to escape. He followed Bruce down several halls. They stopped in front of a large, iron door.

"Through there is your opponent. He is rather bigger than you. I suppose this is the last time I will see you alive. Good bye then." Bruce said evilly, opening the door for him. He stumbled out into the field. It was a big, round pit with a floor of sand. The sunlight blinded him, and he held his hand up to block it as his eyes adjusted. The stands around were filled with people, who were muttering to each other. Clearly they didn't find Link very impressive. His opponent was on the other side, and Bruce wasn't kidding when he said he was bigger. The guy was at least 7 feet tall, and had arms like tree trunks. He carried a giant axe.

Link couldn't help but notice that he wasn't given a weapon. Obviously, his stuff had been taken. He hoped it was at the coliseum; if it was still at the prison he may never get it back. He realized with a sudden chill that he had lost the Master Sword, the most important artifact in all of Hyrule. Either way, if he was to bring it back to Hyrule, he had to survive.

The giant approached him, huge axe dragging on the ground. Link turned sideways to minimize himself as a target. The giant stopped, and swung his 6 foot axe horizontally at Link's neck height. Link ducked, and ran at His legs. He dove into them, knocking the giant down. The crowd gasped. Link stood up, and his opponent sat up, thrusting the long handle at Link horizontally. Link grabbed it, and slid back a bit, but held his ground. He ground his teeth, wishing for his gold gauntlets. Suddenly he jumped up, flipped over the axe and landed on the head of his enemy, who fell back again. Link punched him in the face, breaking his nose. The man yelled, and punched Link in the gut. Link flew back, gasping. The man brought the axe down towards Link's head, but Link rolled to the side, and frog-jumped to his feet. He ran forward and drop-kicked his opponent in the chest. The man stumbled back, and Link wrenched the axe out of his hands while he was dazed. Link summoned all his strength and smashed the man's forehead with the dull end of the handle. His opponent fell back, out cold. Link tossed the axe to the side, panting. The crowd cheered, but were a little disappointed that there was little blood.

Bruce walked out, and beckoned Link back to the door he had entered from. As Link approached, Bruce said, "I'm surprised, I must admit. You're tougher than you look. You now have the right to fight with your weapons."

"The ones I came with?" Link asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"The very same. My superiors think a man fights better with weapons he is familiar with. I would like to see how you can wield that sword. When we were bringing it to the storage room we could barely carry it, it is so heavy. It seemed to be getting heavier the longer one person held it, we had to keep switching. It will be kept in a locked cabinet outside the entrance to the arena, only you will have the key. It will have the number 14 on it. We would put your name but you did not tell us…" Bruce responded.

"And I don't plan to." Link said shortly, walking by him towards his cell. To get there, he passed 3 hallways made of grey stone, with rows of cells on either side. Bruce followed behind. Link just walked into his cell, and sat down on the stone slab that passed as a bed. The other features of his cell included a chin-up bar, or something like it, and a table with a chair. All stone, of course.

"Your cell can be made much more pleasant if you cooperate. We can install a shower with running water. We have that technology, I don't know about Hyrule. We can improve your meals, hot stew or even meat. We can soften your bed. We can bring you things to amuse you, or things you need. These things must be earned. If you fight well, and keep the crowd happy, some of these things can be granted. Or, if you cooperate, and tell us what we need to know, we will give you some as well." Bruce said to Link.

Link normally wasn't picky, but the idea of spending months here without a shower repulsed him. "I will tell you why I was here, and my first name, and I will fight if you give me that shower."

Bruce nodded, "I will have to ask my superiors."

He walked off, and just as we walked out the door to the right a guard came out with trays of food. He delivered one to Link. Stale bread, overripe food, and a slab of gristly meat. At least the water was clean. Link ate it all; he had eaten worse. As he finished, Bruce reappeared.

"That is an acceptable deal. But if you stop providing decent fights, the shower can be removed." He said.

Link wondered if it was a trick, but he really didn't care anymore. His name would mean nothing, and they already guessed why he was here.

"My name is Link. I was here to learn what I could." Link said bluntly.

Bruce's eyes seemed to widen at the name, but that was impossible. The name Link meant nothing to anyone besides the King and Zelda. He nodded, and left. Link wondered briefly what time it was, but decided he didn't care. He lay down on the stone bed and drifted off to sleep.

**AN: Well, I may not have the longest chapters, but you have to admit I can crank them out pretty quick when I want to. Please review!**


	4. Gladiator, day 2

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: I've never been this into a story. I can't stop writing. I want to find out what happens next, and I usually don't know until I'm writing.**

**Review Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: My first chapter was posted yesterday, I must admit. I'm not quite THAT fast. As usual, thanks for the review! **

**Spiritual Stone: I'm glad you appreciate the Master sword thing, I spent forever thinking that up. At first I thought I'd have it zap em, but that wouldn't get the sword where I needed it to be. Merry Christmas to you too!**

**Runic Tunic: Glad you liked it. I actually like your "emporer" idea, I'm going to try to slide that in next chapter somehow, I think. About the blood, I don't want to put too much, cause I don't know how much is allowed in a story rated T.**

Link awoke at some unknown time. It seemed to be early morning, from what he could tell through the tiny window way up at the top of a wall. He looked at the corner opposite the bed, and noticed he had gotten the shower. The ground had been dug so that the water would all flow down a drain that was installed, instead of pooling on the floor. A metal tap with a single handle beside it was up on the wall. There was even a curtain installed facing the bars, presumably for the guards' sake. He got up and tried it out. The water was frigid cold, but at least it was clean. After his shower, he planned out his hygiene for as long as he was here. A shower every 3 days seemed right; he didn't want to overdo it. That water was wicked cold. It was more than most people got anyway. He also realized showering would do no good if his tunic was filthy. He had 3, with his zora tunic and goron tunic. He could wear 1 for a week, wash it in the shower, and then wear another one for a week, and so on. Wouldn't be that clean, but Link spent part of his life sleeping in fields, so it seemed like luxury.

With that sorted out, he could focus on far more important matters: escape. He would keep whoever ran this place happy by fighting for them, but he wouldn't give in. He resolved to tear down the whole coliseum, and he would not rest until The Jarmanians were fleeing their burning city. But to achieve that goal, he had to get out of here. He inspected the whole cell. The window was no good; it was barred, and high up. Even if there were no bars and he could reach it, he probably couldn't fit. He double checked the bars, but not one was loose. He had no equipment, his sword and shield were outside, and even if he had them they wouldn't help much. He had only one option. Watch and wait, and when the opportunity struck he would escape.

He lay down on the floor, and started some pushups. If he was going to survive against more giants, he would have to stay tough.

"A little worried about your skinniness?"

Link started at the voice, and fell on his stomach. He scrambled to his feet, and glared at Bruce, who was standing outside, hands clasped behind his back, smiling.

"You again." Link said flatly.

"Of course. I am a… attendant, if you will. I am assigned certain gladiators to take care of, and you're lucky enough to be one of them." He said.

"You talk too much. Am I to fight again?" Link asked.

"Am I boring you? Trust me, that's the least of your problems. Yes, you're fighting again. I know I said this last time, but I don't think you will live. No matter. Come with me." Bruce said.

He opened the door. Link stepped out, and considered running. No good, guards were constantly patrolling. He followed Bruce to the same door as last time. Before he left, he took the key he was given out of his pocket and unlocked a wooden crate with the number 14 on it. His name was also painted under it. Inside was the Master Sword, in its sheath, atop his faithful, battle scarred Hylian shield. He picked them up, and put them in their rightful place on his back, attached to the belt that went over his shoulder.

"Hmm… I have to admit; just those weapons make you look a little for formidable." Bruce commented. "Well, anyway, good luck out there… your opponent is a little… wild."

Link stepped out to a little applause. People didn't seem to know what to make of him. He looked over to see his opponent. It wasn't human, and it wasn't waiting for him. He didn't know what it was, but it was charging at him, uttering a trumpeting cry. It looked kind of like a bull with an alligator's head, plus a 1 foot long, sharp horn pointed at him. Its tail was long and whip-like, and there was a razor sharp blade on the end. Its back feet had typical bull hooves, but its front had paws with three 6 inch nails on each. It was about 8 feet tall, and 15 long, plus a 5 foot tail. Link dove to the right, just avoiding the thing's stampeding feet. He rolled and stood up, drawing his sword and shield. The creature turned sharply, crying out like a deranged elephant. It charged again, and this time Link was ready. He wished for his bow, but made good use of what he had. As the creature neared him, Link jumped up. He just cleared the horn, and landed on the things back, facing backward. He sat and dug his feet in. The tail-blade came flying at him, but he sliced it clean off with one good swing. The tail whipped around, spraying purple blood all over. The creature yelled, and bucked suddenly, dislodging Link. He flew up, and rolled to his feet as he hit the ground.

The creature had calmed down a bit, and the wound had stopped bleeding so much. But "calm" wasn't quite the right word. It still ran at top speed like before, and came charging at Link again. This time it pounced, which is an awkward sight for a bull/alligator creature. This didn't make it any less threatening, Link back flipped and just got away. It landed ungracefully on its stomach, and Link jumped on its back, facing the front. He raised his sword, and plunged it into the back of the creature's neck. It jumped to its feet, and began running and bucking. Link wrenched his sword to the side to do more damage, and held it there, using it to hang on. Eventually the creature bucked so hard the sword came free, and Link was sent flying back.

He landed as he did last time, and stood ready again. He knew a wounded animal was more dangerous than a healthy one. It came flying at him, completely uncoordinated. Link slid onto his back, and stabbed his sword up into the creature's soft underbelly. The noise of the feet right beside him was deafening, but it did the trick. The creature's own running caused the blade to leave a bid slash right down the creature's stomach. It was bleeding badly, and ran, wobbling, right into a wall. It collapsed to its side, and lay still. The blood on Link's blade boiled away, as always. He looked down, and noticed his leg was bleeding. The creature's claws must have done it when he had slid under it. He hadn't even noticed. He hobbled back to the door, where Bruce was waiting again.

"Nice job. The crowd is pleased." Bruce said. "Put your sword back in the crate."

Link did as he was told, and they walked back to his cell. It was locked behind him.

"I don't suppose you want to share more information with us..?" Bruce asked.

Link just glared at him. Bruce sighed. "I thought not. Bye then." He walked off.

In a few hours, a guard came with lunch. Link ate the miserable meal, and then walked up to the bars to see the other inhabitants. Right across from him was a random slave, huddled up in a corner. To the right was a cell with a Gerudo warrior. Link tried to get her attention, but she ignored him. In the cell to the left was a Jarmanian, probably a criminal. That was all he could see. He sat down in the stone chair. A piece of paper fell down onto the table. Link looked up at the window, but all he could see was someone's shadow. Then it was gone. He unfolded the paper. It said:

_I am here to help you. More messages to follow._

Link studied it. He didn't know who it was, but someone in this hostile country was on his side, and that made him feel a bit better. He didn't know who it could be, no one in Hyrule should know of his capture yet.

Later that day, Bruce arrived again. "Again?" Link asked.

"A gladiator's life is not easy. Two fights a day is about average. Should be no problem for you, eh Mister Hero?" Bruce said.

Link stood up, and then did a double take. "What did you say?" He gasped.

Bruce smiled. "That's right. Our spies learned of this sacred hero, hidden from the people. We know you are Hyrule's unheard-of hero. We had suspected from when we first heard a report from the soldier you let escape from the Great Plains. When our royal guards saw a green-clad man wandering our town, with Hylian ears, we thought it might be you. You probably would have been killed on sight otherwise; you can't tell us much we don't know already. We decided to let you live, perhaps you will become a useful bargaining chip."

Link didn't respond. So they knew who he was. He didn't know what that meant for him. He hoped the king wouldn't trade anything big for him. A bargaining piece. Was that the only reason they let him live? It didn't seem right. But then, he knew little of The Jarmanians. All in all, it would do no good to worry about it too much. He followed Bruce down the hall, and collected his weapons before heading out into the stadium. This time his opponent was human. A spear carrying man about Link's size was coming out of the other door.

Link drew his weapons. The spearman ran forward, spear poised for a stabbing. The man's movements were reckless, he lacked finesse. Then again, so did Link. The man stabbed wildly in Link's general direction, and Link stepped to the side with ease. He grabbed the spear with the free hand of his shield arm (makes sense if you actually know how Link wields his shield.), and pulled it right out of his hands. He reared back, and flung it into the wall on the opposite side. The man drew a small dagger from his belt, and approached Link with it. Link sighed. He lunged out with his sword, forcing the man back, and then pressed the attack. The man was thrown off balance, and Link plucked the dagger out of his hands. He brought it down to the man's neck, but stopped there. The man looked relieved.

There was silence. The crowd didn't know if it was over, usually there was at least a knock out, if not a kill.

"That's it. I will not go any further." Link called out in a strong voice.

There was a smattering of applause. The crowd wasn't quite sure they were satisfied. The man sighed in relief, and thanked Link. Link headed back to the door, dropping the dagger as he went. Bruce was waiting for him. He didn't look pleased.

"My superiors may not be pleased." He said sternly.

"I'm sorry to hear that" Link said coldly, stalking back to his cell. Bruce locked it behind him, and walked off. Link sat down, waiting for dinner.

**AN: Nothing to say here, except for "please review."**


	5. A new deal

DISCLAIMER: I SHOULD STOP DOING THIS, IF ANYONE ASKS GUIDE THEM TO CH 1…

**AN: Yet again, another quick chapter. I was thinking about making them longer, but that would mean you don't get to see them as quickly, so I don't know.**

**Anime Wildfire: Nothing important here, just thanks for the review!**

**Runic Tunic: Hmm… I'm not good at writing romance, but I think you're on to something. I'm going to add something similar. I'll give you credit at the end of the story.**

**Spiritual Stone: I'm glad you liked the monster, I made it up off the top of my messed up head. Oh, and finesse is like, grace. Lacking finesse meant he was wild, maybe clumsy. **

**Blood of Sparda: I'm glad you like my story and it's nice to see someone new reviewing. So thanks a lot! Oh, and you're the first to add this story to your faves, so thanks for that too.**

That night, after dinner, Link got another note through the window. It read:

_If you do not kill, you will be killed._

Link stared at the note. "Thanks for nothing." He muttered to no one in particular. He ripped the note to shreds. He was in a situation. If he was to survive, which was essential not only for his life but for the Master Sword's safe return, he had to kill. But killing slaves and others forced to fight like him was wrong. He didn't know if he could do it. But the Master Sword was the most important thing, so perhaps he had to.

He sighed, then lay down and did some sit-ups. He then went to bed for the night.

The next morning, he awoke to Bruce's voice. "Wake up, your first REAL fight is today."

This woke Link up quickly. "What do you mean," He said coolly.

"Before now, you were just being tested. If it was real matches, the crowd would have been bigger. Also, a judge will watch over these matches. I suppose 'judge' isn't the right word. He doesn't care what you use to win; he's there to make sure it's a good show. The gamesmaster, he is called. He will watch your fight, and the crowd's reaction, and then he will nod, or shake his head. If he nods, you're home free. If he shakes his head… make things interesting, fast. By the way, I think I should let you know something. You have been doing simple fights so far. These are most common, but you may be set up with special event fights, which have varying rules or goals. But forget about that, follow me." Bruce explained.

Link followed him, and collected his weapons. He stepped into the sunny pit, and looked for this "gamesmaster." He was easy to find, in a box way high up. He wore a black mask, and appeared more like an executioner than someone who would have the word games in their title.

Link's opponent was an archer. It was a short man with a bow, and he didn't wait. An arrow flew straight at Link's head. Link rolled to the side, and took off running at him. He blocked an arrow, and dodged another. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg. He cried out, and the leg gave way, causing him to fall down. The archer laughed, and walked over to him. He raised the bow right over Link. Link kicked out with his good leg, smacking the archer's and making the arrow just miss Link's neck.

Kink sat up and grabbed the archer's wrist, snapping it. The archer cried out in anger, and punched Link in the face with his good hand. Link fell back, and the archer tried to stab him with an arrow. Link rolled to the side, ignoring the arrow in his leg, and punched up, hitting the archer in the gut. The archer fell forward, and Link hit him again in the face this time, knocking him out.

Link sat up, and grabbed the arrow in his leg. He wrenched up, and the arrow slowly came loose. He yelled out at the top of his lungs, but kept pulling until the arrow came free. He sat there, breathing hard, and lucked up at the gamesmaster. The gamesmaster shook his head. Link turned to the archer, but couldn't bring himself to kill a man who was unconscious. He crawled away to the door, and managed to stand when he got there. Bruce didn't say anything, just brought him back to his cell, and left.

Link tore a strip pf the sleeve of his tunic, and bandaged his wound after cleaning it quickly in the shower. He knew it would heal quickly. He was very good at healing fast, especially when he siphoned some magic power. Bruce and 2 guards showed up at his door 10 minutes later.

"Come with us. My superiors would like to see you." Bruce said, unlocking the door. Link was led out through the other door, and down a few halls. He was brought down another flight of stairs, and into a big room, with the white stone this time. He was sat on a chair, facing a row of people, also sitting. There were 7, with the one in the middle on a higher chair.

One of them leaned forward, a woman, at least 60. "We are displeased with your performance." She said.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Link said flatly. A guard smacked him.

"Show some respect." He said, backing away.

Another leader, a young man, spoke. "It is not that you have no talent, we think you are far more resourceful and strong then you let on. But you're holding back, not killing, and the crowd isn't pleased. You are here to be… persuaded."

Link just glared back. Seeing that he was not going to say anything, the same man called out "bring them in."

A door behind the leaders opened, and a guard came out. Link gasped at the people following. They were Hylians, and not all soldiers. There were women too, which meant the Jarmanians must have been in Hyrule for a time to kidnap them. All of them looked scared.

The leader on the big chair spoke. He was a middle-aged man. "If you do not agree to fight well, they will die."

Link knew he had no choice. Kill Jarmanian slaves, or let captured Hylians die. Not a nice choice, but Link couldn't let innocent Hylians die.

"Fine." He said reluctantly. "But you have to let them go free."

The main leader considered it. "That is acceptable. We will let one go everyday for as long as you please us."

Link just nodded. The guards stood him up, and brought him back to his cell. Later that day, he was called down for a match. "You're fighting 2 opponents today; they will fight each other though, so they aren't ganging up on you. Three way free-for-all. Simple." Bruce explained, as Link collected his weapons and headed out.

He sized up his opponents. One was thin but muscular, no fat on him. He wielded a staff with a blade on each end. The other was a 6 foot tall, strong-looking guy with a war hammer. Link normally wouldn't have worried, but his leg was throbbing, and he could barely put weight on it. It was the same one that monster had slashed, which made things worse. He backed against a wall, and leaned against it. The other two went after each other. The big one swung his hammer wildly, not letting the little guy get close. One of those swings clobbered the small gut upside the head. There was a sickening crunch. Link winced, but held his position. The little guy dropped like a fly, head bleeding. Link hobbled forward after the big one, who showed no remorse.

The big one leered at him. He didn't seem that shaken up over what he had done. Link guessed being here for a long time did that to you. He put his sword and shield away, and stopped moving. His opponent walked towards him, looking a bit confused. He raised his hammer.

Link put his hands together, and brought them to his side. "HHYYAAAHH!!!!!!" He yelled suddenly, bringing his hands forward and down to the ground. A huge fireball erupted, and grew into a dome shape. It expanded quickly, engulfing his opponent. The man roared in anger, and charged at Link, still flaming. Link rolled, and the man kept running, right into a wall. He collapsed, and rolled around. The fire extinguished, and he lay there. He seemed to still be breathing. But he wouldn't be getting up again for a while. Link noticed the crowd was silent. He looked up at the gamesmaster, but he was just staring at Link with wide eyes. Link was confused, and headed back to the door. Bruce was waiting, but he too looked shocked. That was when it hit Link. It was the magic. In Hyrule, magic was commonplace. Perhaps it was not so here. He smirked, realizing he may have just learned a weakness to this civilization. He went back to his cell. Bruce left without a word.

Within an hour, Bruce was back, along with that main leader from the room. He looked pleased.

"Link, I don't know what you did out there, but the crowd loved it. They keep talking about it. You must do it again." The leader said, flushed.

Link saw an opportunity. He snapped his fingers, creating a spark. "I can do more. But only if I don't have to kill, and you release the prisoners."

The leader narrowed his eyes, saying "how do I know I can trust you?"

"I want to live. This will help me." Link replied.

The leader nodded. "If you incorporate this… skill into some of your fights, you do not have to kill. But try to add variety. And we will free 2 Hylians a day."

Link nodded back. The leader and Bruce left. Link turned, and saw another note slip through the window. It read:

_Good thinking there. It will buy you some time. Tomorrow, there will be something extra in the crate with your sword._

Link destroyed it, thinking it would be bad to have a guard find these, then sat back to wait for dinner or another fight, whatever came first.

**AN: Well, there you go, please review. Merry Christmas!**


	6. A bad day

DISCLAIMER: LAST ONE. SEE CH. 1

**AN: This took a bit longer, Christmas was busy. Anyone get Twilight Princess and/or a wii? Just curious.**

**Review responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: Again, all I can say is all will be explained, eventually. Thanks for the review!**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the review! Did you get Twilight Princess?**

**Russanodrey: Thanks for the compliment; I always like seeing another reviewer.**

After dinner that day, Link was actually glad to be called for a fight. He wanted to see what was in that crate. He followed Bruce, and opened it up. He picked up and grabbed his sword and shield, and was glad to see his trusty Fairy's bow, along with his quiver of 60 arrows. He was hoping for a key out, but this would help. He noticed a note wrapped tightly around the bow. He slid it into his pocket, not wanting Bruce to see. He then stepped into the field.

He was met with a lot of applause. He ignored that, and checked his opponent out. Another giant over 6 feet tall. This one had a ball and chain. He whipped it around his head. The ball was spiky and over half Link's size. Link Ran through his magical options. There were 6. Din's fire could help, but it may be fatal. Farore's wind was useless here, far as he could tell. Nayru's love would protect, but he could still be knocked back. Now that he had his bow, he had his 3 types of magic arrows. He readied an arrow, and infused it with ice. The crowd leaned forward expectantly. He loosed the arrow straight at the ground in front of his opponent. The ice spread in a second, encasing the lower half of his opponent. The crowd cheered. Link strode towards his opponent, deciding he should knock him out, just to be safe. The man still had some fight in him, however, and the ball just missed Link. Link ran forward, ducking the chain's second pass. The man was helpless, the ball flailing around with too much momentum. Link walked up to him, and dealt a quick jab to the head, knocking him out. He didn't want to kill, but this caused him no guilt. The man would live, albeit without the ability to walk for a few days. That ice was cold.

Despite being short, everyone was happy with the battle. Bruce led him back to his cell happily enough. When he was gone, Link pulled out the note. It said

_I'm sorry; this was all I could steal. Don't worry about Bruce, he'll assume it was authorized. I will try to give you more. I… don't know how you can escape, but I am working on it._

Link sat back to think. If he continued to get his weapons… he had a chance. Some things could be slipped into his cell if Bruce didn't see him walk into the battle with it. Or if he had the hookshot, could he grapple out of the pit? Probably not. Everything was stone, he needed wood. His boomerang was useless here… he had equipment for every situation EXCEPT escaping a stone building.

He lay down on his stone slab, but just as he was drifting he heard a voice through the window. He sat bolt upright.

"Are- Are you awake?" A feminine voice called through his window.

Link slid off his bed and ran to the window. He peered out. It was dark, and he couldn't see. "Hello?" He whispered out.

"Good, you're still awake." The voice said.

Link's eyes began to adjust. He could barely see out the window on his toes. It seemed to be at ground level. Made sense, he was in a basement. A figure dressed in black was kneeling out here. His eyes adjusted further. She had green eyes, but he couldn't see anything else because a veil covered to lower half of her face. She also had a hood on, but he could see a bit of dark hair, brown or black.

"Who are you?" Link asked.

"I… I can't tell you. But I want to help you." She replied.

"Why? I don't think I know you." Link said, feeling a little angry at the lack of help.

"It should be enough that I wish to help you. Do you not wish to be back in your land?" She asked.

"So you are Jarmanian." Link said flatly.

"I- I didn't say that!" She said, flustered.

"No Hylian would refer to Hyrule like that. Besides, if you were Hylian, The king would know and SOMETHING would have happened." Link replied.

She sighed. "You're pretty clever. I am Jarmanian, but I can't say more. I'm figuring out a way to help you escape. So far, I like the idea of using your hookshot to grapple out of the arena onto a piece of wood I can fasten somewhere, but I don't know where you can go from there… yet."

"That's what you came to say?" Link said coolly. He was irritated by her lack of helpfulness.

"And to give you this." She said, managing to slot his hookshot through the bars.

Link caught it. He smiled. He always liked the hookshot; it was probably his most versatile tool. He nodded his thanks to the stranger. She seemed to smile, although the veil blocked her mouth. "There will be more in your crate tomorrow. I'll keep giving you things, try to hide some in your cell, anything Bruce doesn't see you bring into the pit. I don't know you can hide it though.

"Won't be a problem." Link said, thinking of the magic pouch he had strapped to his belt, which let him carry almost infinite items.

The stranger nodded and backed away, saying good bye. Link raised his hand in farewell, and then went to get some sleep.

The next day he was awakened by Bruce, being told he had to fight another monster. Link got up, dreading this fight. The last monster had been sort of… unpleasant. He could only imagine what sort of deranged mutant could be waiting for him now.

He followed Bruce, and was glad to find bombs and all his 4 important masks from Termina, the ones he took with him. He eyed the fierce deity's mask. It was dangerous to use, but after grappling out of the pit… he dismissed the thought until he had spoken with the mystery woman again. He slid them into his pouch; Bruce either didn't notice or didn't care. They were just masks, after all.

He stepped into the field. The monster he had to fight stood in the center of the pit. It was 8 feet tall, and was humanoid. It had the body of a man, and the head of a jackal. Its human-like arms had hands that seemed to be lizard-like with 6 cm, black nails. Its legs were human, but the feet were eagle-like. Its jackal head was black, with small white horns protruding near the ears. Its eyes glowed yellow. It also had huge, bat wings jutting back from each shoulder.

When it saw Link, it opened its wings and soared. Link noticed it was chained to the ground, so it wouldn't fly away. It flew at Link, who drew his weapons. It came at Link headfirst, arms outstretched. Link hit the sandy ground, and felt the sharp claws whistle overhead. He stood up, turning to face the monster. It was hovering, watching him from up high. Link pulled out his bow, and sent an arrow sailing up. It hit the chest of the creature, but barely left a mark. The arrow fell back out, leaving only a small trickle of black blood. The creature let out a shrieking cry, and zoomed down at Link again. Link slashed out, but the creature pulled up, dodging. Link whipped out his hookshot. The hook pierced its leg just above the foot, and caught. The monster shrieked in pain, and Link tried to retract it. The monster started to be pulled down, and then it flapped harder. Suddenly Link was pulled into the air. He tried to retract again, and was pulled right up against the monster, which smelled like decaying flesh. He stabbed his sword into its back. It took all his strength, but Link was able to pierce its tough skin and ram the sword all the way up to the hilt. The blade came out the monsters stomach. But it didn't stop. Link wrenched the sword back out, and was shaken off.

He fell 10 meters down, but was able to roll as he landed and end up on his feet, a bit dazed. The monster turned, trailing black blood, and attacked Link again. Link used his Din's fire again, and the monster's wings began burning. It kept coming though, and slammed into Link. Link flew back, screaming into a stone wall behind him. He collapsed on the ground, gasping. He saw the world dissolving, and fought to stay conscious. He saw the monster, all on fire, coming at him again. He struggled to his knees, and his vision went all blurry again. He tightened his grip on his sword, which he miraculously hadn't dropped. He stood up, but barely had the strength to move his sword, every bone ached. He knew he couldn't fight. He put up Nayru's love, fell into a sitting position, jammed the handle of his sword into the ground in front of him, blade up, and blacked out.

He awoke in a bed, stone but with a thin mattress. He tried to sit, but it hurt too much. He forced himself to move a bit. Nothing seemed to be broken, just really painful. Man was ok, pain was good. The most serious injuries were often the painless ones. He turned his head, and noticed he was in his cell. So much for a hospital. At least they added a mattress. He looked at the bars, managing to turn his whole body. A guard saw him move, and ran off. A minute later he came back with Bruce.

"Ah. You are awake." He said peering in.

"Why… am I alive?" Link said, not liking his voice's weakness.

"Not from your pitiful sword-spike trap, that's for sure. The blue shield you made protected you from the monster. Its wings burned up, and it couldn't fly anymore. It came at you though, and your shield was fading. But an unknown member of the audience killed it with a spear throw." Bruce responded.

Link, of course, guessed it was the woman trying to help him escape. "Whatever. I'm alive." He said, more to himself than Bruce.

"Not for long." Bruce replied. "You lost the match."

Link looked at him quizzically.

"Link, you have been sentenced to death." Bruce said gravely.

**AN: Ooh, that ain't good. Poor Link. Please review!**


	7. Capture the Flag

DISCLAIMER: I LIED… SEE CH 1…

**Review responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: I thought you would ask about this creature, you were the one who liked my last monster! Yeah, at first he was just like, a copy of Anubis. I threw in wings and stuff for fun. Thanks for the review!**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Wow, thanks for the ideas! The first idea I was sort of using/planning already, based on the suggestion you gave me earlier. Your second idea, with big battles, I was thinking of, but for now Link can't exactly take part. I am planning a sequel though, if I make on all the big battles will be there. Your last idea is really good, with the "wtfpwnageuberelite" knights, but the king won't suspect Link has been captured for 3 weeks, so he wouldn't send anything. Thanks for the review, and I will give you all honorable mentions at the end of the story, if that's alright.**

**Anime Wildfire: I have plans for the fierce deity's mask… (music goes all evil). Thanks for the review! **

**PS. Sucks about the wii. Lousy karma…**

**Runic Tunic: Where to start…Ok, about the executions, yes, that would imply "off-screen" executions to Link's opponents. I was wondering if someone would pick up on that. As for why Link would be killed, it's simply the rules. But read this chapter, there's more. About elaborate matches, I have something unique in this very chapter, I too thought they were getting boring. Matches in between I could add, but this is focusing on Link's captivity, mostly. I might slip some in, though. And who says the prisoners were freed… Anyway, thanks for the review.**

**Now, I can begin.**

Link glared back at Bruce. "I won. I'm alive, it isn't. Why should I be killed?" Link said calmly, without fear.

"Actually, that's being debated. You are not officially sentenced to death yet. The audience is on your side. I can't say I know why, I always assumed you were just another gladiator…" Bruce explained.

Link was a bit puzzled too. The way he understood the coliseum, audiences just came to watch random fights, they didn't care about the gladiators. Suddenly a guard ran into view, up to Bruce.

"A messenger from the king arrived. He says the king orders the gladiator's execution to be postponed." The guard spoke up.

"How long?" Bruce asked.

"Two weeks." The guard replied, jogging away.

"Hmm… I guess you have some time. Enjoy it." Bruce said, walking away.

As soon as he was gone Link heard the voice at his window. He tried to get up, and managed to sit. He tried to stand, but his foot wouldn't support him.

"Are you OK?" The voice called, concerned.

"Fine." Link gasped.

"How long until you heal?" The voice called out again.

"A couple of days." Link replied.

"They'll force you to fight anyway. Is there anything I can get to help." She said.

"Yes. My stuff. Get the bottle with red liquid. While your there, grab the on with green liquid. Please." Link said.

"Ok, hold on." He heard footsteps. He lat there on the ground, hoping the Jarmanians hadn't dumped it.

A half hour later, she was back. He saw the bottle with red potion come through in a string, so it wouldn't smash. Link crawled over to it, and took a big sip. He felt the pain receding, and was able to move again. He checked the bottle. He had only needed half. He put the rest back in his pouch. Jut then the green potion came down in the same fashion. He didn't need this one yet, but he may eventually. Into his pocket it went.

Link stood up, and looked out the window. The figure was there, with a veil again. "Any escape plans?" Link asked.

She shook her head. Link heard footsteps approaching his cell. "Run!" He hissed. She heard them too, and took off. Link turned around, and leaned against the wall casually.

Bruce walked in front of his cell. "Wow. You recovered quickly. I thought you were seriously hurt. Good thing too; this next ones a lot harder. Think capture the flag. With weapons."

Link walked to his door, and was let out. Again Link considered running. He had the Fierce Deity's mask… no, it was too dangerous to use it. He would wait until an emergency. He collected his weapons from the crate, and noticed his boomerang there too. Bruce saw it, so he didn't bother hiding it. Onto his belt it went. He couldn't help but notice how incompetent this system was; Bruce had no idea he wasn't supposed to have these weapons. Everyone assumed someone else had authorized it.

Link stepped out in the field. Four other gladiators showed up behind him, each being lead by someone different. Bruce quickly explained to Link, "Those are your partners. You have been made the leader. There are 5 on the other team, you must defend this flag. To win, you have to capture theirs. They have been told the same, and that they must listen to you if they want to live."

Link didn't like this. It was hard enough to live, being responsible for others lives made things worse. He just nodded though, and turned to the other side of the field. Five gladiators were there, surrounding a red flag that was planted in the ground. Bruce planted a blue one behind Link, and left them alone. Link looked at his allies. They were a sorry bunch. Three looked close to tears; at least the other looked determined. Link sighed.

"Alright, I've heard good things about you. What's the plan?" The brave looking one said. He was holding 2 one-handed axes. The other 3 all had generic swords.

Link looked at their opponents. Each one of them was massive, and the weapons varied from pikes to war hammers to maces.

"I have a plan." Link said.

"Enlighten us," The double axe wielding man said, "I'm Trask, by the way."

Link nodded. "Link. Basically, we're going to leave these 3 behind to defend the flag. I'm going to run straight on into them. You head to the far right, and come in from behind or the right, whichever way's less defended. I'll bail out then." Link explained. Trask quickly told the other 3 the plan. They hardly seemed to hear him. This done, Link activated Nayru's love, and ran ahead.

The five opponents saw him coming, and formed a protective wedge around the flag. Link charged straight at the man in the middle, and leaped into the air, drop-kicking him in the face. Another smashed Link with the war hammer, knocking him to the ground. He was uninjured thanks to Nayru's love. He rolled to his feet, and ran at the war hammer man. He took a mighty swipe at Link, but Link hopped over it, and hit the man in the chin with his shield. The man fell, his mouth bleeding a bit. Link smacked him again, knocking him out. The other's had completely forgot about the flag, and were bearing down on him. His shield began to flicker. He retreated back a few paces, and they followed him. He saw Trask scoop up the flag. Link took off, but looked back and saw that Trask had been noticed. Trask hacked one up with his axe, but was grabbed from behind by another. The one who grabbed him started strangling him. Link ran back. He readied his boomerang, and flung it at the man holding Trask. It hit dead center on the man's forehead, knocking him out. Trask fell forward gasping. Another man swung a giant axe down at him, but Link managed to get in the way, and block with his shield. He was forced to his knees, and amazingly his shield didn't split.

"GO!" Link shouted at Trask. Trask took off, and Link followed him after parrying the axe away. He then noticed that one man had been missing, and was going for the flag. Link's other team members fled before him. The man sliced one of them in half with his giant sword, but the other 2 escaped. Link tackled the man to the ground, and slammed the hilt of his sword into his face, breaking his nose. He then wrenched the flag away and put it back in its rightful place at the same time as Trask put the other flag there. There was applause, and the gamesmaster nodded. Probably because of the magic, or Trask's kill. Link suddenly got an obvious idea. He clasped his hands together and brought them back, then straight up. A green light appeared there, and hovered after he lowered his hands, a bright green orb. It then shrunk down to nothing. The crowd seemed to think it was a show, and applauded. Link headed to the door, feeling a bit better. Bruce was waiting.

"What was that thing you did at the end? With the green light?" He asked.

"Nothing," Link replied, just a little magic trick.

**AN: Another chapter… and Link has a plan. The next one will probably be out tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.**


	8. escape

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: Back again. I couldn't wait to type out this chapter, last chapter I struggled to come up with some story progression, then suddenly it was all planned out. So I had to write this chapter before I forgot.**

**Review Responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: Glad you're excited, and thanks for the review! And for the grammar tip, I can always use those.**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Missed you last chapter somehow. Anyway, yes it was Anubis I based it on. I wasn't actually thinking about Horus when I added everything; I was just trying to make it look good. The first monster was made up completely, but it does remind me of a manticore now that you mention it. Oh, and after reading the description you left for the girl, I actually thought you would think I ripped it off somehow. It was quite the coincidence.**

**Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the compliment!**

**Digital Skitty: Not that long. I'd say maybe a bit more than 10 chapters, I wish it could be longer but the constant gladiator fights were going to get boring, fast. I find it hard to keep people interested in one idea for long. But I plan on a longer sequel, I'd like to write more about this war.**

Link didn't sleep that night. He sat in his chair, looking out the window, trying to decide when it would be safest. He would wait until the moon was in the middle of the two middle bars. He had it all worked out. Any time he wished now, he could go back to the arena. It would presumably be deserted, late at night. He could maybe use his Goron mask, which he had, and break into the door where he always comes out of. Right inside was the crate with his sword and more. He would take these, and then find a way to climb up into the stands where the audience sat. He could find a way to safely jump to the ground, or if he couldn't he would take one of the exits the audience used, and hope there wouldn't be too much resistance. Once outside, he could put on his damn hood, and escape the city, just as he had entered. He would lose some equipment, but he would manage. The only irreplaceable things he would really miss were his golden gauntlets and mirror shield… but they would once again be in Hyrule once they defeated the Jarmanians.

He stood up, it seemed late enough. He made sure he had all his stuff, and then drank some of the green potion, just to be safe. Then he stood in the middle of his cell, and spread his arms. A green glow appeared in each hand, and he clapped them together, disappearing in a flash of green light as he did so.

He appeared in the arena, as planned. It was not however, deserted. But there wasn't a fight happening; that would have been better than the truth. The stands were full of people, all watching executions. Of the Hylians whose freedom had been promised to Link. The crowd was staring at Link, but the executioner, guards, and prisoners were all turned away, and hadn't noticed him. Just as Link appeared, an axe was raised above the neck of a Hylian man, held down by two guards…

Link closed his eyes, but it didn't block out the sickening sound of the axe parting the flesh of the neck. Suddenly Link was screaming, a blind rage roaring through his body. He ran ahead at the guards, who had all turned to face him. He pulled out his Fierce Deity's mask and rammed it onto his face. As soon as he did so, he fell to his knees, gasping. He turned his face up to the sky, and the mask was fusing itself to him, spreading. His body grew a little taller, and his green tunic was replaced with blue and purple body armor. A sword, twisted into an eight-shape appeared in his hand.

This was all on the outside. Inside his head, Link felt the familiar struggle with the Fierce Deity himself, the struggle for control of his body. As he had in Termina, he subdued the other essence and regained control of his new body. He stood up, and stared at the guards, pupil-less and radiating energy. The guards and the executioner quivered in fear. Link raised his sword, and swung down diagonally, throwing one guard away, dead. Another stabbed at him with a spear, but it was a weak thrust and it glanced off his armor. Link, or Fierce Deity Link, launched a round, blue blade of energy out of his sword, killing him. The executioner ran, but with one leap Link was in front of him, and dispatched him with a horizontal slash. The guards didn't know what to do. There was four remaining, two charged Link and the other two ran towards a door. They both felt a blue disk of energy between the shoulder blades, then felt no more. The two that attacked Link did not fare any better. Link picked one up, and tossed him ten meters away onto his head with no effort. The other one swung his sword at Link, but Link cut the man's sword in half with a one swung, and then slashed back up leaving a huge gash along the man's chest. He dropped instantly. Link strode over to the prisoners, and crushed the chain binding them together with one hand. He freed each one quickly, and smashed a door open for them. He saw a flood of guards coming through the door, but they ignored the prisoners and headed for Link.

Link ran for the other door, and smashed it open. He strode over to the crate with his name on it, and wrenched the lid off. He collected all of his stuff into his pouch, and headed back out.

There were lots of guards coming from the other door. Link jumped into the stands, and sent a huge blade of energy at the group of guards. It exploded as it hit the ground and incinerated them. Link ran up to the top and jumped off, out of the coliseum and towards freedom. He landed without any injury, and took off across the street. He hid between two buildings, and grabbed his face, trying to pull the mask off. There was another brief mental struggle, and then the mask came off. Suddenly he felt all the energy drain out of him, and all the rage. He felt calm again, and it was a relief. He was rarely angry, but that had done it. He wondered if they had escaped. He just sort of left them to get out. Innocent Hylians taken prisoner, it was sickening. But then, they weren't the only prisoners. Wasn't the coliseum a prison? Hadn't he been a prisoner too? What made the Hylians more important then the slaves and other captives, Jarmanian, Hylian, or otherwise, who were being held against their will? He reached into his pouch, and drew out his sword, shield, and quiver, which all went on his back where they belonged.

Before it had been simple. Escape, leave the coliseum behind, and forget everything else here. But now, outside of his cell, he felt ashamed of that. He knew then that he had to help the others. But he also knew he couldn't do that. The coliseum was big, and that wasn't counting the basement levels. There had to be a hundred guards, and then there would be reinforcements from other parts of the city. He turned the Fierce Deity's mask over and over in his hands. No, he mustn't use it. He was strong with it, but not invincible. Besides, it was risky. If the Fierce Deity's soul within the mask ever took control, the world would be in grave peril. But what if he left? Came back with help?

"Hello? Link?" A voice called from the end of the building he was behind. Link whirled and drew his bow, arrow ready. He dropped it immediately; it was the mysterious girl who was trying to help him, again in that veil of hers.

"How'd you find me?" he asked, not really caring.

"I heard you were escaping from some guards. But they said you had armor. And white-blonde hair. And a big sword." She said, sounding a bit childish.

"Who are you?" Link asked suddenly.

She hesitated, but then surprised Link by removing her hood and veil. Link couldn't help but notice that she was very attractive, with straight, shoulder length light brown hair. "My name is Elisa. I am… the princess of Jarmania." She said hesitantly.

"Why… why are you helping me?" Link asked, actually very curious now.

"I've never liked the coliseum, I think it's cruel. But my father believes I need to watch the fights, to 'toughen me up' as he puts it. I saw your first fight, how you spared your opponent. Did you know you are the only gladiator to do that? Ever? And I realized we need more people like you… and I couldn't let you die in there." She explained.

Link listened quietly. "I have to leave." He said. She looked relieved. "But I'll be back."

"No!" She shouted. Link clapped a hand over her mouth. She glared at him, but she stopped yelling. "You have to get out of here, and stay away. My father will have you killed. He hasn't been the same since…" She trailed off here.

Link didn't say anything, just looked at her inquisitively.

"He… he was a very kind, peaceful man many years ago… if he had found Hyrule then, we would undoubtedly be allies. But he went looking for the springs of yore. We Jarmanians have a legend, there are supposed to be magic springs deep below the city, and one sip of the water will grant you immortality, strength, and amazing stamina. But it costs you much, bends your mind towards evil… well; we are not blessed with an understanding of magic, as your people are. Many blindly searched for it… but my father, with the country's resources at his hands, found it. He hasn't been the same since. He collapsed the tunnel so that no one else would ever find it, and since then it's all been about land, and when he found Hyrule, well, there was more beautiful land for the taking." She explained.

"Why did he postpone my execution?" Link asked, suddenly remembering this.

"He knows more about you then you know. We have a spy, very high up. He overheard a conversation between the king and Zelda about you. I persuaded my father that you would be useful, and to at least let you live a while. He did." She explained.

Link looked down, then back up at her. "Thank you." He said.

She smiled, "That's why you mustn't come back, I went through a lot to try and help you."

Link sighed. "I will come back, with some help. I have to get those gladiators out."

"Hey! You!" Link turned, sword drawn. Soldiers were running at them from one side of the little alley Link was in between two buildings.

"Run!" Link shouted, taking off out the other side. Elisa followed him. They dashed a short way before Elisa told him to follow her. Link did as he was told, she knew her way around better than he did. She was in pretty good shape considering most princesses led sheltered lives. She brought him back to the main gate.

A guard was looking at them, confused. "Isn't that a Hylian?" he asked.

Link didn't say anything. Again, putting on his hood would have been the smart thing to do…

Luckily Elisa took over. "My father has ordered this one to be released. He is to be a spy. Open the gate." She commanded.

The guard snapped off a quick salute, then turned to the gate winch. He turned the crank, and the gate started to open. Link turned back and saw the guards approaching.

"Stop! Don't open the gate!" One of them shouted. The gate guard looked up, confused.

"Go!" Link shouted, and dove under the gate. He knocked the two guards out there out before they knew what was happening. He looked back. Elisa hadn't gone. She looked at Link, from the other side of the now closed gate, and shook her head.

"I have to stay. These are my people." She said sadly. The guards had arrived by then, at least twenty of them by now. A bunch grabbed Elisa, and she was roughly pulled away.

"I will return!" Link shouted to her, feeling useless.

"Open the gate you fool!" A guard snarled at the gate guard, who was looking around, confused. The first guard roared in anger, and went for the winch himself. Elisa had been carried out of sight. Link had no choice. He ran. Up the path through the forest, and out into the blood fields.

**AN: That chapter may seem a bit rushed, and I'm afraid it means this story is going to end soon… But I like these Jarmanians, and everything I created, so I'm going to write a sequel. Please review!**


	9. Recruitment

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: Took a while, I know, sorry…**

**Review Responses:**

**Spiritual Stone: Uh, glad you liked it!**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Ok, for your first idea, I don't think that's going to work here, but thanks for the idea. For your second idea, I do have something similar planned already, involving a couple WTFPWNAGEUBERELITE knights. Oh, and you should definitely trademark that word, it's awesome. I don't know about your third idea yet…**

**Anime Wildfire: again, thanks for the review!**

**Chuck: Thanks for the review, I hope it gets better.**

**ElfMaidenOfLight: I did :) Glad you like it, by the way. **

**And now, the story…**

As soon as Link came out to blood fields, he ran to the left, and then back into the forest. He slid behind a tree. From where he was, he could just barely see the path leading to Jarmania. A bunch of guards were running out to blood fields. They looked around.

"Damn it… he must have gone into the forest. We'll never find him there." One of them said.

"You're right. Head back men, at least we caught the treachery of the princess." The leader barked. They all headed back to the gate. Link stepped back out of the forest. He had to get some help, get back in there. Not only were there gladiators to free, but princess Elisa was caught because she tried to help him. Treason was a serious charge, she'd be lucky to just be exiled. Execution was much more likely.

Link knew if he went to Hyrule, it would be too late. Without a horse, it would take days. Even Gerudo Valley was too far. He'd have to round up some people from blood fields. But would anyone come? It was then that Link got a good look at Blood Fields. It was very quiet. He walked to the top of one of the few hills, and looked out. All he could see was Jarmanian outposts. He looked to the entrances to Gerudo desert, and saw they were blocked by Jarmanian camps. Blood Fields had been taken.

But there had to be survivors. Maybe prisoners in the outposts. There would be people, there must be. People hiding, unable to leave because of the blockade of Jarmanian soldiers at the pathways through the mountains.

Link walked out into the field. He had a plan, nothing special, but it would have to do. He would rescue any prisoners still alive, if there were any. He would find any soldiers hiding in the trees, there were always survivors. They could sneak into Jarmania, and free the gladiators and Princess Elisa. He could offer the gladiators asylum within Hyrule, if they helped fight through one of the camps and into Hyrule. Link stopped. It wouldn't help to be caught and trapped in an outpost. He quickly used Farore's wind where he was, setting a warp point. He needed a back door.

He walked near an outpost, which was basically just two tents and some soldiers. There was a couple of Hylians tied up and tossed to a side. Link lay down, using his green tunic to blend into the grass as best as possible, and scoped out the place. There was only four visible soldiers, and there couldn't be more than six concealed in the tents, they would have set up more otherwise. So ten, at the most. Link crawled towards the two prisoners. He lay beside them, hidden from view. One of them was a basic soldier, the kind that wielded cheap spears. The other, however, had an insignia on his light armor, near his heart. It was the Hylian flag design, with the Triforce and red eagle, like on a Hylian shield. A member of the royal knights, an honour passed down from father to son, dating way back to the great wars. This could be a useful ally. Link untied the regular soldier, who was closest. When the man rolled away, a guard shouted out. He hadn't seen Link because the guard was far and Link was behind the prisoners, but he saw the rope come off.

Link leapt to his feet, startling the guard. Link drew his sword, and charged ahead. He met the first guard, who had nothing but as short sword, and with three quick slashes dispatched him. The other three ran over, two of them had spears, and one had a sword and shield. The one with the sword came first, and Link slashed at him. The man blocked with his shield, and stabbed back. Link sidestepped this and slashed down, splitting the man's helmet and killing him. The two with the spears came at the same time. Link back flipped, avoiding their stabs, and used his jump attack to kill one. He spun and brought his sword up, leaving a shallow cut on the other man's leg. He fell to his knees, and dropped his weapon.

"I surrender!" He cried. Link dragged him over to where the prisoner was, and tied him up with the rope from the soldier he untied. Link peeked in the tents, but they didn't have any soldiers after all, just supplies. Clearly they weren't expecting an attack. Link ran back and untied the royal knight.

"I thank you." The knight said, getting to his feet. "You fight well."

Link smiled, and bowed. "Don't bow, young warrior. You clearly aren't a soldier, so I am not your superior." The man said gently. "My name is Agraros."

The other soldier, who had been watching from a distance while Link fought, came over now. "I am thankful too." He said. Agraros went into a tent, and came out with their weapons. He handed a cheap spear to the soldier, as Link expected. Agraros had two swords, one over his shoulder and the other on his waist.

"My name is John, by the way." The spear wielding soldier said. Link nodded to him.

"My name is Link." He said, turning and looking to the next outpost. "I have a favour to ask of you."

"You saved my life, I will do as you ask." Agraros said.

"I need help breaking into Jarmania. There are slaves there who may help us, if we free them." Link said.

"No way. No way, you cannot be serious, man, its impossible!" John almost shouted.

Agroros spoke up, "We will die here otherwise, there is no way through the mountains without help. I cannot speak for John, but I will go with you."

"Well, I'm not staying here alone. I guess I must go too." John said.

Link smiled, and bowed his head thankfully. "We should rescue the others. There are two outposts small enough for us to attack. After that, we will find any survivors who are not captured. Then I will find us a way into Jarmania." He explained quickly.

The trio ran along the field for fifteen minutes or so, to the next outpost, also made up of tents. Agraros held up a hand, and stealthily approached the camp. There were no guards on duty, it seemed. They were all sleeping. Clearly they were even less concerned about an attack then the last outpost. Agraros freed the one soldier held captive there, another royal knight. His name was Gorem. He wielded a dagger and an axe. He also agreed to go.

The next camp was actually guarded, so sneaking up was impossible. The four charged straight on. One guard was sent in the other direction, probably to warn the others. Eight soldiers lined up in in the way of Link and his allies. Link ran straight through, using his shield to thrust away the spear points, and slashing from side to side, killing two as he passed through. Agraros and Gorem had equal success, Agraros killing three and Gorem killing two. John was attacked by the last soldier, and they fought for a while before Link kicked the soldier, knocking him off balance so John could stab him. There were two generic soldiers and one royal knight here. The soldiers both struck out on their own, but the royal knight, a woman name Kasha joined them. She had a bow, as well as a long, thin, slightly curved sword on her waist.

"How many of you are there?" Link asked.

"It was just the three of us. We were each leading a small army. They seemed to know about us, they took us alive." Kasha answered.

Link nodded. Three royal knights on his side. He had not expected to be so lucky. If they gathered a small group of other soldiers, they had good odds of taking the coliseum, with careful planning. Link found a Hylian flag that lay abandoned.

"It is risky, but the only way to get the attention of any Hylians. We are going to march along the tree line and wave this. We'll make our way to Jarmania that way, hopefully gathering soldiers." Link explained.

Everyone nodded, so Link raised the flag, and began waving it as they walked to the edge of the field, near the forest. He turned and followed the line of trees towards the path leading to Jarmania. More soldiers seemed to be hiding then he had thought. They crept out from the trees, heartened by the flag, a Hylian flag in territory controlled by the Jarmanians. Once they crept close, they saw the three royal knights, Hyrule's elite warriors, and joined without hesitation. By the time they reached the path, there was Link, the three knights, and twenty-eight soldiers. Thirty-two warriors. Link had complete confidence they would take the coliseum, as long as they were quick and allowed no one to escape for reinforcements. With the gladiators' help, it would be easy to escape again. They had to avoid severe losses to escape blood fields, though.

Link quickly explained the plan. He would scale the wall with his hookshot, and take out the guards at the gate. He would open the gate, and they would hide the bodies. When they were in, the would run through the town, covering their ears with helmets, hates or hoods, to buy them some time. It wouldn't be much, because people would notice the soldier's uniforms, but they should make it to the coliseum. They would take it quickly, block the doors, and hope no one figured out where they were in time. With the gladiators' help, they would fight their way back out and into the forest. They would regroup, and plan a way back to Hyrule from there.

"It is not foolproof, but it will do." Gorem said. Everyone slowly agreed, and they headed down the path. They would only get one chance.

**AN: I know that wasn't terribly interesting, but it had to be done. By the way, if you want to know how I imagine pronouncing Agraros, I think of it as "ah-grare-ose." I know I make weird names, sorry. Anyway, please review.**


	10. The taking of the Coliseum

Disclaimer: I OWN SQUAT

**AN: I have nothing interesting to say…**

**Review Responses:**

**Stickmario645: I don't know, Ganondorf escaping seems so clichéd… maybe if other people really want it too… Thanks for the review, though!**

**Anime Wildfire: That chapter actually didn't take long; I thought it sounded kind of… rushed. So thanks!**

**Runic Tunic: Sorry, I don't explain pronunciations often… yes, I meant "Ah-GRARE-ose." But if you like your way, that's fine, just think of it like that, it doesn't matter.**

**Firesaber: Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review.**

**My rambling is done… here's the story.**

Link and his group approached through the trees. Link raised a hand to tell them to stop, then entered the way he had last time, with two arrows and his hookshot. He jumped off the other side, and rolled, looking around. It was clear. He slid against the wall, and sidled along. There was one guard at the gate, looking away down the path. Link crept up from beside and behind, and grabbed him from behind. The guard tried to cry out, but Link covered his mouth and carried him back into the shadows. He knocked him out with his sword hilt. He crept back to the gate. He knew it would be pretty loud when he opened the gate, but it should be a normal sound, and hopefully no one will look. On the other side, Kasha had dispatched the two guards who watch the path. Link opened the gate quickly, looking back. Nothing. Everyone walked in, all the soldiers had helmets covering their ears, and the royal knights had hoods. Link put his hat away and replaced it with his hood. He smiled a bit, realizing that if he hadn't noticed the others he would have forgotten it again.

They ran along the streets, Link leading them towards the coliseum. Everyone did their best to hide any Hylian marks on their outfits. Civilians looked at them strangely, but they met no patrols. In retrospect, Link didn't think this was a good idea, but it was too late now. He breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived at the coliseum. There were six entrances. Link and the royal knights all ran in one way, and the soldiers split into groups to block each way out. Link ran down the hall, killing unaware guards. Agraros followed him one way, while Kasha and Gorem went the other, all the guards in the circular, main floor hallway fled to the basement. Link and Agraros met up with Kasha and Gorem around the other side.

"That's it, the rest headed into the basement. Link, would there be any upstairs?"

"Shouldn't be. That's only for the crowd to go watch. Everything important is in the basement, everyone is held there." Link responded.

Gorem, a big, intimidating bald man, strode over to some of the Hylian soldiers. "Spread the word. I want these entrances all blocked, and I want it done five minutes ago!" He barked. The soldier saluted, and ran off to tell the others. The rest gathered chairs, paintings, tables, anything and began to barricade the doors.

"We're going downstairs. Only come when you run out of stuff to barricade the doors with, and don't stay down long in case we miss some guards." Kasha said to the soldiers, turning to the stairs that lead to the basement. Her jet black hair, which was tied back whipped around, and she ran down first.

Link followed quickly. If anyone was hurt he would blame himself. Agraros and Gorem followed. Link caught up to Kasha. He looked around. He was in a familiar place, four hallways that make a square around the fighting pit, with cells along both sides. There were also two doors into the arena, but those could be ignored. There was another flight of stairs leading further down; they would have to check that out later.

There was also a wave of guards coming at them from both sides. Agraros, who had been using one sword so far, drew his other. Gorem twirled his dagger and axe. Kasha, readied her bow. Link and Agraros stood back to back with Kasha and Gorem. Kasha fired an arrow, and another, and another very quickly. The guards dropped, and were stepped on by more.

"This is probably every guard. Just hold out." Link said, shield ready.

The guards reached them. Kasha drew her sword, and the melee broke out. Luckily it was in tight quarters, so only four guards could attack at a time. Link slashed his sword in a continual ark, using his shield occasionally to deflect spears. Agraros's swords were just silver blurs, thrusting and blocking. Gorem swung his axe wildy, keeping everyone back, while beside him Kasha crouched low and danced in and out, avoiding enemy attacks and Gorem's mighty swings. The guards drew into a retreat. Link drew his bow. Fire ignited at the arrow tip. He fired, and the guards caught fire. It burned many, as the guards were all close together, and the magic fire spread quickly. The guards turned at the ends of the hall and out of sight.

The prisoners had all watched this in interest, and cheered when these four lightly armored warriors repelled the guards. They ran in all directions, explained briefly to the prisoners, then realized they didn't have a key. Link searched the bodies of the guards.

"Nothing…" he muttered. He never did know who had a key…

"Hello Link. Fancy meeting you here." Link stood and spun around. Bruce stood at the end of the hall, big scimitar in his hand. He wore baggy brown pants, and an off-white shirt with no sleeves. He had no armor. He was wearing a belt with a key on it. "I can't believe it. Only gladiator to ever escape, and you came back to die. You should have stayed away. I admired your cunning… it's a shame I must now kill you."

Link stepped forward. The others walked up behind him, but he raised a hand and shook his head. Bruce seemed to think he was weak, small… a useless slave. Link had to show him otherwise. Alone. Bruce ran forward, Link ran to meet him. There swords clanged, sparks flew. They pushed at each other, swords locked. Bruce slammed Link's sword into the wall, and brought his sword towards Link's head. Link ducked, and wrenched his sword out of the wall. He slashed up, and Bruce blocked and kicked out. Link staggered back, but danced back in and stabbed at Bruce. Bruce parried and slashed back, but Link back flipped.

"You're fast… but weak. A weak warrior never wins." Bruce taunted.

Link jumped at Bruce, bringing his sword down. Bruce blocked, and they held their blades there. Link kicked this time, catching Bruce in the gut. Bruce stumbled back and Link slashed down at him. Bruce stepped to the side, but the blade grazed his shoulder. He cried out as blood trickled from the wound.

"DAMN YOU, bastard!" He shouted, angry now.

His movements grew wild. He swung viciously, and if they weren't in a hallway Link would have taken him already. As it was, he did it the simple way. He jumped back, and flung his sword at Bruce. It hit him dead center in his chest, all the way to the hilt. It came out of his back. He stopped moving, and stood there, his eyes began to glaze over.

"I… was wrong." Were the last word ever spoken on this earth by Bruce. He fell backward, and blood began to pool. Link pulled his blade free. The blood boiled off of the sacred blade. Link sheathed it, and pulled the key free. Without a word, he ran to a cell and unlocked it. The others joined him, and together they progressed slowly down the hall. Every gladiator joined their cause.

They ended up in the hall opposite where they had come down. There was another flight of stairs, down and up. The retreating guards had most likely gown down to regroup. Link handed the key to Kasha.

"Keep freeing them. I'll be back." Link told her. She didn't question him, and continued on. A door to the stadium was here, with the different crates of weapons beside it. He started smashing them open.

"Help yourselves." The gladiators all went after weapons, until everyone was armed with whatever they were comfortable with. Link wondered for a second if they would turn on him, but of course they had no reason to.

"If you fight with us all the way to Hyrule, you will be granted asylum." Link told them. They all nodded.

"We will fight for you." A big man with a hammer said.

Link smiled. Agraros asked, "Now what? Are we done?"

Link looked at him, and shook his head. "We're going downstairs, there might be prisoners. Also, I would like to see if my other weapons are there…"

Agraros nodded. They waited until Kasha came back, with a bunch more gladiators. They were all armed, from the crates near the door on the other side. Link did a quick count. About sixty. Not bad. He thought a minute.

"Me and these knights are going downstairs. Go up, there are guards with uniforms that are not Jarmanian. Tell them to clear one of the doors, and help defend it. Please." Link instructed the gladiators. They obeyed without question. Link and the royal knights went downstairs. There were two guards watching, and as they saw them they ran. Kasha took them both out with her bow.

The stairs led to another area made up of hallways in a square shape. There were no cells, but there were some doors on the inside. Link opened one. Inside was a treasure trove of supplies. Food, weapons, gold, everything. A Multi-purpose supply room. He was about to leave when something caught his eye. A glimmer of light in a corner. He ran over, and saw his mirror shield lying there, reflecting the light. All around it was his stuff, iron boots, gold gauntlets, megaton hammer, everything. He loaded it all up into his pouch. He left the room in a better mood than when he had entered it.

They searched quickly, but there were no more slaves. They were just heading back up when the guards came out of a door, and charged at them. Link opened his bomb bag, and rolled out a bunch of bombs. All of the fuses lit as soon as they were out of the bag, as always. They rolled down the stairs. Link and the knights ran up. An echoing boom was heard, as well as the sound of sections of wall and ceiling crumbling. They ran up the next flight of stairs, into the main hall. There was one entrance open, and outside was a fight between some Jarmanian guards and the gladiators and soldiers.

Link ran in, followed by the royal knights. Link slashed one, ducked and parried, slashed another. The fight ended quickly. Link and his large group ran back the way they had come. Some scattered, confused forces stood in their way. They were mowed down quickly. Link's group made it to the gate, where the guards still hadn't been replaced. The Jarmanians had powerful armies, but their defenses in the city were pitiful, untrained. Link opened the gate quickly, and everyone rushed through.

Agraros was last. He looked back. "Coming Link?"

Link looked at the ground. He hadn't told them about Elisa. "I have something I must do first. You don't have to wait; I can find a way through." He said.

Agraros spoke up quickly, "I am coming too."

Link shook his head. "This is stealthy work, two people would be too many."

Agraros looked torn. "I see you are decided. Very well, but I will try and get everyone to wait. It was thanks to you that any of us are alive at all."

Link nodded his thanks, and closed the gate. He raised his hood, and turned back into the city.

**AN: Hmm… I rewrote parts of this several times, but I couldn't get it how I wanted it… it seems so confusing. Next chapter will be easy, just Link again… that's how I write best. Please review; I could really use tips or suggestions about how that could have been better.**


	11. The Rescue

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: Sorry it took so long… anyway, this chapter starts kinda slow, but bear with me.**

**Review Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: I'm glad to know you could tell what was happening, I thought it was sort of jumbled. Thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: Thanks for the review!**

**UltimaGoldDragon: All I can say is, thanks and I'm glad you like it.**

Link strode quickly up the path. He didn't think any guards would recognize him, but they would be on the lookout for any escapees. He only passed one patrol, and they were rushing for the gates. It took them that long. Unbelievable. Maybe conquering the Jarmanians wasn't such an unreachable goal.

Once he got a good distance away, he stopped to think. She was a princess, so she would most likely be tried at the castle. Link cursed himself for not forcing her to go. Did she actually think she could get away with it? She clearly was unaware of how big of a crime treason is. Link sighed. He realized this could take a while. He suddenly hoped Agraros would leave. If they were caught because he was here… He shook these thoughts from his head. If he was to do this, he had to focus. He could see a castle way off in the distance. He headed that way, making sure his hood was still up.

After about a half hour, he was near the gate leading to the castle. Link remembered how easy it had been to sneak into Hyrule castle nine years ago. This was going to be tougher. He stayed at a distance walking along, not wanting to arouse the suspicions of the guards. He paced along the outer wall, which was made of grey stone. The castle, however, looked like nothing Link had ever seen. It was all white, with pillars everywhere, and decorative marble statues. The walls didn't even seem to be cemented together, but rather cut to fit, like a puzzle. There was one big entrance, blocked by a large door that was swung open by three guards by hand, as opposed to the metal gate that was opened by a winch at the main entrance. It stood on top of a hill, which began just inside the wall.

He made a quick plan. He would see if there was a way over the outer wall anywhere. If not… he would think of something. If so, he would search for an alternate route into the castle. If there was one, perfect. If not, he would take out the guards carefully, and use the main door. That would probably mean lots of fighting, which he hoped to avoid.

He searched around the wall. It wasn't that tall, about 3 meters. He couldn't jump to the top though. No wood either. Around back, he found a way in. There was a small gap, just big enough for him to crawl through, where water entered for use in the castle. It was blocked by bars, but the bars had been there a while, and weren't secured very well. The gold gauntlets should do the trick. He slid them on, wishing Navi was around to scout out the castle grounds for him. He knelt in the water, and grabbed the first bar with both hands. He wrenched as hard as he could. The bar came free. He set it aside, and grabbed the next. It came out with no effort at all. He continued until all of the bars were removed. He crawled through, and set the bars loosely back in place. At a glance, it looked the same as before.

Inside, the water flowed along and went into a cavern dug into the hill, which lead under the castle. It sloped downward, so the water filled it. No problem, with the Zora Tunic crawling/swimming through that wouldn't be hard. He found the tunic in his pack, and threw it on overtop of his green one. A bit bulky, but Ok for a short trip. He slid head first into the cavern. He crawled a bit, but as it sloped down he became submerged, and began an awkward little stroke. It was a tight squeeze. He began to feel a bit claustrophobic. He shook himself. He would have taken a deep breath, but the tunic only gave oxygen directly into his body, he was holding his breath. Breathing in would be… bad.

He hadn't realized just how far it was. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, and he began to panic. He forced himself to calm down. He had dealt with much worse before. He continued along, not thinking about where he was. Finally he came into a larger area. He swam up, and broke the surface, looking around. He was in a pit of water, about 10 meters in diameter. Several pipes came down from the ceiling and into the water, and seemed to be sucking it up. He briefly wondered how it worked, but of course it didn't really matter. He swam to the edge of the pit, where there was some stone floor and a door. He slipped off his Zora Tunic, and put his ear to the door. He couldn't hear anything, so he opened it carefully. He was in a short, narrow hall with a staircase at the end. He walked down and headed up the stairs into a small, round room, with four doors out. He picked one at random, and peeked out. There was a hallway that stretched way off to the left and right. A guard was walking down. Link closed the door quietly. He listened carefully, and as soon as the guard was gone he opened it and stepped out. He made sure his hood was on. It wouldn't be that important, but if glimpsed from behind he may avoid suspicion.

He began wondering how to find the princess. It was a big castle. What if she wasn't even here? He was only assuming she would be here, but what did he know about Jarmanian law? He had waked to the end of the hall, and he had a choice to keep going straight, or turn left. He was about to turn when he heard a couple of guards coming up the hall. He shrank back down the hall, and found a statue to hide behind. Two guards began walking down the hall he was in.

"Hear about the princess?" The first guard asked the other.

"Which part? Her getting tried for treason?" The second responded.

"Among other charges. I think she thought the king would defend her. If anything, he was the harshest on her. Did you here how it turned out?" The first said.

"No. I guessed execution though. By hanging, maybe." The second said casually.

"Worse. She's being thrown unarmed to an Anukal, in front of a crowd. Looks like the coliseum will be used again for something, at least. Only two people ever survived being caged up with one of those, and they were armed. Matter of fact, one of them was that gladiator who busted out the others, and trashed the coliseum. Anyway…" Was all Link could hear from the first guard before he was out of earshot.

Link pounded his fist angrily on the statue. The coliseum. All this was useless. What was an Anukal? It was either the bull creature, or the flying jackal headed one. Either way, an unarmed princess would be torn apart. He needed to leave, fast. He didn't know when the execution was, but he had a place. He headed back down the hall, into the round room, and down the stairs. Back in the water storage room he slipped his still wet Zora Tunic on, and plunged back in. He found the little tunnel, and swam up against the current. He didn't feel any claustrophobia; he was too busy thinking about what he had heard to even notice where he was.

As soon as he emerged from the tunnel, he took off the Zora Tunic and ran back along to where he had broken in. He tossed the bars away, and didn't bother replacing them this time. It wouldn't matter. He ran as fast as he could up the almost empty street. He attracted a few odd glances from people walking along, but he didn't stop. He turned and ran out into the open area that housed the coliseum. There was a pile of junk outside, all stuff they had used to barricade the entrance. He ran inside. A couple guards looked up. They clearly assumed he was just here to watch, and didn't pay attention to him. He headed up the stairs to the stands. He came out in the aisle. People were filling the seats, all gathering to watch the murder of their former princess. Sickening. Link strode to the front, and though there were no seats there, he sat in the aisle. In the middle of the pit was an anukal, which was the winged, jackal-headed creature. It had the chain keeping it in the pit as before, but for the moment there was a second chain around its neck, leading to a stake deep in the ground. It was keeping it restrained in the very middle.

In the box which held the gamesmaster before, was the king. He was quite different then the king of Hyrule. He was slim, with short cropped black hair. He was well dressed in red silk. His eyes were a piercing blue, so light they were almost white. There was something wrong with his eyes, as if something was glowing behind them. As everyone sat down, he stood to give a speech.

"We have gathered here, in our sacred coliseum, to witness the execution of the traitorous Elisa Gordian." The king began, "She has been sentenced to death for treason, assisting a dangerous criminal, and aiding in the murder of many guards. She is to be executed in the coliseum's pit, by an anukal."

As he said this, Elisa was brought out through the door Link had traveled through many times. She was escorted by three guards. Two of them stood with her, untying her hands, while the other approached the anukal. He placed a bomb near the chain fastening it in place, and ran away quickly. He left through the door, and the other two guards followed, kicking Elisa to the ground before they left. Link looked at the king. There was no remorse, or emotion of any kind in those eyes.

The bomb went off with a loud bang, and it weakened the part of the chain near the explosion. As if sensing this, the monster pulled sharply, and the chain snapped. The anukal took flight, the remainder of the chain failing out behind it. The crowd gasped and leaned back, but the other chain kept it from leaving the pit. Elisa had stood up, and was trying to open the door. Obviously it was fastened shut, and she turned to face the beast, which had spotted her and was soaring down quickly. There was fear in her eyes, but she hid it well. Link drew his bow, the crowd around him gasped. Some seemed to recognize him. The arrowhead turned white, and an icy mist gathered. He let fly straight at the anukal's neck. The monster froze, and Elisa dove to the side. The anukal, covered in ice, slammed into the door. The ice shattered, and the anukal picked itself up, roaring in anger. Link vaulted over the low guardrail, and dropped into the sandy pit. He ran over to where Elisa had just stood up. She looked sort of surprised.

"What are you doing here!?" She shouted.

Link shrugged. "I said I'd be back." He said simply.

She smiled. This heartwarming reunion was ended by another earsplitting shriek from the anukal. It had taken flight again, and was circling around for another go. Link drew his sword and shield, and stood in front of Elisa. When the monster drew close, Link leapt at it, sword ready. He brought it down and left a gash along the anukal's shoulder, but the monster slammed into him as well. He flew back, but managed to roll along the ground instead of slamming into a wall. He got to his feet. The anukal had landed, and was approaching Elisa. Link ran after it, and tried to plunge his sword into its back. Suddenly it flared its wings, and Link was knocked back. The monster rounded on him. It lashed out with its lizard-like, clawed hands. Link batted one away with his sword, but the other grabbed him around the neck. It lifted him up into the air, and shook him. His sword was sent flying. The monster held him still. Link struggled, but the hand holding him was far too powerful. He had an idea. He didn't want to, but this qualified as an emergency. He reached back into his pouch, and drew out the Fierce Deity's mask. He slid it onto his face, and the familiar process began.

The entity in the mask fought harder this time, but again he was able to subdue it. The monster was looking at him curiously. The crowd, who had been booing, cheering, and talking, was silent. Link reached up and grabbed the monster's hand. He wrenched it off, and dropped to the ground. He slashed at the anukal's stomach, and left a deep gash. Black blood flowed freely. The monster roared, and pounced at him. Link leapt into the air, and fired three blades of energy into the monster's head. It roared in pain, and turned to Elisa. She turned and ran, but it raked its claws down her back, leaving three deep gashes. She fell to the ground with a cry.

Link jumped at the monster, uttering a deep, guttural battle cry. He swung his sword, and severed the monster's head. It fell to the floor, twitching, and then lay still. Link removed the mask, and shrunk back down. He again felt rather drained. He hobbled over to Elisa. She was lying on the ground, but she still breathed. He fumbled in his pouch. Two of his bottles were empty, one had some green potion, and the one with the red potion had apparently leaked. He got her to drink the precious bit that was left, and she was able to stand. He knew it wouldn't last long, those gashes were deep. He turned to a door, but guards were coming from both sides. He suddenly remembered the warp point he had set up near the forest. He didn't know if he could take someone else through, but he had to try. He grabbed Elisa's arm, and focused all of his remaining magic power. The green light covered him, and flowed over Elisa. There was a sudden flash of bright green light, and they were both gone.

**AN: That was one of the longest yet. Anyway, what do you think? please review.**


	12. Attack

DISCLAIMER: SEE CH 1

**AN: Sorry it took so long. I spent more time thinking then writing… This one also starts slow, with an action scene tacked on at the end.**

**Review Responses:**

**Runic Tunic: Damn, that would have been awesome. Wish I had thought of that… **

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: I guess I didn't really explain that well. The idea was supposed to be more that she thought her dad, the king, would defend her. And uh, he didn't. But now that you mention it, it could be read either way… **

**ZombieDragon: Not many more chapters… two or three more, I guess. But there's gonna be a sequel, I just wanted to split the story up because Link's not a gladiator now, and that's the title. No huge wars, that's for the sequel. As for the rest, read on…**

As soon as they reappeared in the field, Elisa collapsed on the ground. Link felt like doing the same. He was drained of magic and strength. He struggled to pick her up, but couldn't manage it. He looked towards the forest. Were they even there? If not, Link and Elisa were both going to die here. Elisa had lost consciousness. Link fell to his knees.

"Link?" A voice called.

Link looked up. Agraros was running out of the forest.

"Take her. I can walk." Link said, hobbling to his feet.

Agraros didn't question him; he picked up Elisa under her arms and legs, and carried her into the forest, to hide her from view. Link followed, stumbling a few times.

"Kasha!" Agraros called. Kasha ran towards them. "I need something to lay her on."

Kasha looked around. Link pulled his goron tunic out of his pouch and laid it out on the ground.

"It'll do." Agraros said, lying Elisa down on it, on her stomach. "It's a big wound. I don't know what I can do without supplies. She needs an actual hospital."

Kasha pulled some bandage from a pack that was strapped to her waist. He placed it carefully over Elisa's wounds. "She's lost a lot of blood, and she will lose more. We have to get her to Hyrule. Red potions are her only hope." Kasha said.

"Then we must fight our way into Hyrule." Link said.

"Yes, clearly." Agraros said, "But you must realize Link, you cannot help us. You are far too weak. I don't know what happened, but whatever you did, you were pushing yourself too much, and too often."

Link was silent. He knew it was true. He took out his green potion, and drained it. He felt renewed, mentally at least. Using the Fierce Deity's mask had its downside.

"Alright, if we're going to do this it's going to be tonight. They will only get stronger." Agraros said to the crowd of soldiers and gladiators.

Everyone nodded. Link did an approximate count. They had only lost a few in Jarmania. There was about ninety of them, total.

"Can you stand, Link?" Agraros asked him. Link got to his feet. "Your powers of recovery are impressive. I still want you to stay in the back, behind the main fight."

Link nodded reluctantly.

"OK. We leave in four hours, after nightfall. I suggest you all get some sleep." Agraros called out.

Everyone nodded. Some exercised; some sat and thought, and many slept. Link was one of those.

"Link. Wake up, Link!" Link awoke, still feeling tired. It was very dark. Link shook himself, and stood quickly. Now that he was up, he did feel much better. Gorem had woken him.

"You look well. You may be ready to fight, I don't care what Agraros says." Gorem said, walking off to wake others.

Link walked over to Elisa. She was still unconscious, and her breathing sounded ragged, and irregular. "What about her? How are we going to get her there safely?" Link called out to Agraros.

Agraros looked down. "We don't really know… I suppose she will have to be carried, but I don't like it. She isn't really safe to move."

Link looked down at her. "How long?" He asked.

Agraros knew what he meant. "Well, bandaged up like this, I reckon maybe two days, if we're careful. Even then, she would require some luck and excellent treatment at a hospital."

"We don't have two days. The journey through the desert takes that long on a camel, and we are on foot." Link said.

"I know. I hate to say it, but she's in trouble." Agraros said sadly.

"If only I had the Ocarina of Time…" Link said quietly.

Agraros looked at him oddly. "What do you know about the Ocarina of Time? You are not one of us, or a member of the royal family."

Oops. Ordinary people weren't supposed to know about the Ocarina, let alone have used it. Link didn't answer. Agraros's eyes darted to Link's shoulder, where the handle of the Master Sword was clearly visible. He looked back to Link's face with awe.

"You are… The Hero of Time…" He said.

Link didn't answer. Agraros didn't question him further. Link stepped away from everyone. He sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. Hero of Time… big title, meant nothing. He had a piece of the Triforce, but he couldn't use it. Zelda could use hers, Ganon could use his, but Link didn't have the power. It wouldn't help him here. Or would it? Link remembered something Zelda had taught him about the Triforce. When divided, as it was now, the three pieces stayed linked by a beam of energy, visible only in the sacred realm. Which meant Link, Ganon, and Zelda were all linked by energy. Surely he could use that. He remembered, a long time ago, two years or nine years ago depending on how you looked at it, when Ganon had captured Zelda. He had spoken to them in their heads, from a distance. Zelda had eventually explained to him that it was through the Triforce, through that link.

So it was possible to send telepathic messages through this link. Did he have to use the Triforce's power, or could he just use the link? He closed his eyes. He visualized a beam, no, two beams. One was red, and shot off a ways before vanishing into the sacred realm. There was also a blue one, he followed, or visualized following down through this beam, across the plains, over the desert, through Gerudo valley, across Hyrule field, and into the castle. Zelda was conversing with her father. Link felt as though he was hovering above her, but of course he was way back at the outskirts of Blood Fields. He tried speaking. His mouth moved, but no sound came. But that should happen; the sound had to follow his mind along this link.

Suddenly he heard it, and it seemed Zelda did too. _Blood Fields… near jarmania… help, someone dying… supplies, red potions… cut on back…I'm here…information…come…_ His message had been fragmented, but it was understandable. He felt himself withdraw, zipping backward along the same path. He saw himself for a moment, and…

Link awoke with a start. He looked around. He was in the forest, still. Had he done all that? Or was it a dream? Oh well. If it had happened, there would be help. If not… Well, Elisa would die. It was in the hands of the goddesses. Link stood, and went back to the group.

"There you are. We were just about to find you, it's time to leave." Agraros said. Elisa was being carried by a large former gladiator. Link looked around at the group. None were any of the warriors he had spared. No doubt they had been executed, like he almost had been. He gritted his teeth.

They set off, across the field, a large clump. Many camps saw them, but none attacked. Each camp only had a handful of soldiers. They sent messengers though, up to the groups blocking the mountain paths. It wouldn't matter. A surprise attack wasn't what they had in mind. Link led the charge, with the three royal knights up there with them. Behind them, the soldiers and former gladiators clumped without any particular formation, weapons sheathed. They jogged across, as night fell. It took somewhere between four and five hours, some of the men were a bit out if shape. Link reckoned he could have done it in three, alone. They slowed to a stop, just outside of the range off bows at one of the mountain paths. Link walked forward alone, as did the leader of the camp. They met halfway, and shook hands. Link realized this was being treated as a large clash of armies. It sort of was. So this is what being a general was like.

"Name's Lance. I guess you're here to take this pass." The man said.

"I'm Link. Damn straight I'm going to take this path." Link replied.

"Link. You're the one who freed the gladiators, hmm? I though your army looked a little… cobbled together. Good luck then." Lance said, turning and walking back to his camp.

Link turned and headed back. War had bizarre traditions. They had just been talking as if this would be a friendly game, and now they would fight to the death. Link took his place at the front of the army.

There was silence, and Link realized they were waiting for him. He ran forward, unleashing a war cry. The rest followed suit, each one yelling out, everyone full of adrenaline. The arrows came, quiet whistles that brought death. Someone behind Link fell and was trampled. Everyone with shields charged to the front and held them up. Enemy spearmen were assembling in the darkness up ahead. Link hadn't realized quite how many there was, they were outnumbered two to one. Link ran at the line of spearmen, parrying the spear head to the side with his shield and stabbing him. His army collided, dodging or blocking the spears and attacking. The noise was deafening, men screaming, and metal clanging. It was a blur of movement, swords glinting in the dim light of the moon.

Link had fought through quickly. The spearmen were backed up by a legion of swordsmen. Link was fighting his way through this, back flipping and dancing back in. He fended off two blows, and did a spin attack. Three were killed, and more drew back in fear. The Royal Knights had broken through like Link had, and Kasha was taking out the archers while Agraros and Gorem were fighting swordsmen elsewhere. The rest of the army was finishing the spearmen.

There was a third battle cry. A horde of gerudos were pouring through the mountain path. They hit the enemy from behind, where the defences were weakest. The Gerudos came out of the tunnel and fanned out, killing with scimitars and poleaxes. The enemy's broke ranks, confused. Lance, who was the only man at the back to survive, tried to call everyone to order, but it was useless. The Gerudo army was at least two hundred strong, and they were still coming. Eventually Lance raised the white flag. The rest threw down their weapons.

Link scanned the Gerudo army. Nabooru walked out, in front of the rest.

"Link! Fancy seeing you here." She called out.

Link smiled, and ran forward. They shook hands. "What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"We were, no, are here to take blood fields. The Jarmanians for some reason haven't reinforced the field yet, so I gathered three hundred woman before it's too late. We clearly picked the right tunnel. I thought you were sent alone? Since when were you commanding an army?" She asked.

Link explained briefly, including Elisa's condition. Nabooru called for two gerudos. "Find some red potion. Two bottles." She barked. They saluted, and ran back into the crowd.

"Can I see her?" Nabooru asked.

Link nodded, and led her back into the group. Elisa had been laid down again. Her wound had stopped bleeding, but it had scabbed over, and her whole back was red. She was very sweaty, and her breathing was laboured.

"Blood poisoning." Nabooru said. "Red potion will slow it down, but she needs some magic healing. I know some, but this is beyond my skill. We need Zelda."

The two women arrived with some potion. Link tilted her head back, and poured red potion into her mouth. She coughed and sputtered, but swallowed it. She slowly regained consciousness. He gave her the other bottle, which she drank herself.

"How are you feeling?" Link asked.

"Fine." She lied.

"Just rest." Link said, standing up. He turned to Nabooru. "Take these men, add them to your army. We could use a victory. I'm taking Elisa through the desert."

"Link, you won't make it. I could give you a camel, but even if you pushed it to death it would take a day and a half." She began, lowering her voice, "Elisa may not make the day. She's losing consciousness again, she may not wake up."

"Let's say Zelda knew. How long would it take her to get here?" Link asked.

"Zelda's a sage. She could warp anywhere in Hyrule... I guess she would warp to Gerudo… get a camel. If she knew you were here, she could meet you halfway. That would be best, She could heal Elisa. Is there any way for her to know?" Nabooru said.

"She may already. If so, she could find me." Link said. Nabooru didn't question him.

"I can give you a camel then." Nabooru said.

"We're coming too!" Kasha said.

Link shook his head. "I don't need help, there's no danger you could help with out here. You can come if you want; I'm not your boss. But I think you could be more useful here."

Kasha reluctantly nodded. Nabooru led Link to a camel. He saddled up, and picked up Elisa, laying her on her stomach over the camel in front of him. He sitting with his back crammed to the hump. Nabooru brought four more bottles of red potion.

"Use these when needed, it's the only way she'll survive the night. Good luck. By the time you get there, we will own Blood Fields!" Nabooru said. Link smiled at her confidence.

"It was good to know you, Link." Agraros said.

"Good bye." Gorem said.

"Thank you for everything!" Kasha piped up. Link smiled. His trip hadn't been a total loss. He rode off, waving to the group behind him. He turned ahead. It was in the hands of fate now. If Zelda was coming, Elisa would live. If not, she would die.

**Wow, that was long… please review.**


	13. Return to Hyrule

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING…

**AN: How sad… I reckon this is the second last chapter… but not really, cause of the sequel.**

**Review Responses:**

**Anime Wildfire: Yeah, sorry it took so long… I'm glad you liked it, thanks for the review!**

**ZombieDragon: Wow, I didn't think it was THAT good… Thanks a lot! Oh, and long reviews are good, no worries.**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Never played Rome: Total War (well, I at least knew what it was), I just sort of threw in the scene for the hell of it… And I REALLY like the idea with the assassins, arcani. Never heard of them, but it seems good. I'll use it next chapter. And throw it on the list I have of ideas you've given me, for the end of the story.**

Link had barely been one hour into the desert when Elisa went into convulsions. Link stopped quickly, and she flopped off the camel. He hopped down, with no idea what to do. He didn't know much about blood poisoning. He waited until the convulsions stopped. She was still alive. He gave her some more red potion, and got her back on the camel. He hopped on too and continued, a little faster.

Would Zelda come? He was sure he had really sent the message, but it seemed less likely now. If she got it, she could track him over that link between the Triforce pieces. He knew that she knew how. How long would it take? She would be here tonight, if she'd gotten the message. How long? Hard to say. She should be in view in three or four hours, near sunrise. It would be cutting it close.

Link passed several groups of Gerudos, and some Hylians. Going to aid in the battle for Blood Fields, no doubt. Jarmania would have an army out there by now, things would be heating up. He hoped Nabooru would come out OK. The loss of a sage wouldn't be good for Hyrule. The desert especially would be thrown out of balance. That would probably be the worst of all; the desert was the first and foremost defense against the Jarmanians.

He rode for another two hours without a problem. At night, the desert was very cold. Elisa had a high fever anyways. Link was beginning to wonder if there was some sort of venom on the anukal's claws. He gave her a bit more red potion and continued. About an hour later he heard the noise. A shrieking cry, from far away. Link squinted through the darkness. This area of the desert was very flat for a while, and he thought he saw a shape coming down a hill in the distance. No, several shapes, people on camels. Above them were several vultures, creatures common to the desert. Normally they scavenged, but these ones were attacking. Link had never seen so many in one place, nor had he ever seen them so vicious. Vultures out at night was pretty odd too, although it was almost day. There were seven people, all on camels, being pestered by the large vultures. Link sped up, and drew his bow. He aimed carefully, and shot into the night. It pierced the neck of one vulture, which let out a cry and fell to the ground.

He rode forward, killing another with an arrow. He killed a third, and the people came into view. There was several Gerudos, and a person in a white dress. Looks like Zelda had heard him after all. Link smiled. He shot another, riding past the group, and turning around for another pass. The vultures were confused, several were fleeing. Link shot another, and another. A Gerudo threw her spear to kill another, and the rest fled. Link rode up to Zelda, and waved. She smiled.

"It is good to see you safe, Link." She said.

"So you heard me." Link said.

"Yes. I was surprised at how you managed to figure that out. No offence, of course. I should teach you more; you are clearly ready to learn about the Triforce. Anyway, you said someone was injured?"

Link stopped and dismounted. He was about to lay his Goron tunic out on the sand, but Zelda had come prepared. She lay out a full sized, clean blanket on the sand. Link put Elisa on it. Zelda looked at the wound. Her whole back was red, and a tinge of grayish green had appeared immediately around the wound. Zelda winced.

"Just in time… blood poisoning, it has spread quite far. I need a knife." Zelda said.

A Gerudo came over with a small knife, sort of an ancient scalpel. Zelda first gave her some red potion, then cut the wound open, unflinching. She raised her hands over the newly made wound. Golden sparks danced down her arms and into the wound. It drew out the bacteria, vaporizing it. She bandaged the open wound, and gave her the rest of the red potion. The skin began to heal quickly.

"Now we wait. I don't know how far the infection went; it may have been too late. We shall see." Zelda said gravely.

So they waited. The Gerudo guards set up a makeshift camp, and Link and Zelda talked. Link told her everything that happened, including who Elisa was.

_Talk about a mission gone wrong, _Link thought, as he explained it all to Zelda, _I go to gather information, I get caught, fight gladiators, escape, rescue a princess, lead an army into war, then race against time to save someone from a blood infection. Can't I just do one thing that goes the way it's supposed to?_

He finished up by telling Zelda the two important things he had learned. The Jarmanians had no understanding of magic, many didn't believe in it. Also, they had huge armies, but were slow and disorganized when it came to defending.

As he finished, Elisa began to stir. Link and Zelda both ran over. She was opening her eyes. Her breathing sounded normal, and her fever was gone. She looked up blearily. She tried to sit, but Zelda eased her back down.

"You're still weak, and your injury hasn't healed fully yet." Zelda said.

Elisa listened. "I'm thirsty…" She said, coughing. A Gerudo got some water in a canteen for her. She drank deeply, and only coughed a bit of it up.

She went to sleep quickly, but it was sleep, and not unconsciousness. Link slept too, he had only gotten four hours of sleep in the last two days. He awoke late in the afternoon, and Elisa was sitting and talking to Zelda. Zelda waved Link over.

"Hi, Link. I have to thank you for everything… Zelda told me what happened." Elisa said.

Link smiled, and nodded. "Zelda also said you don't talk much… I hadn't really noticed before."

Link shrugged. "We should get going." He said.

Zelda nodded. Link mounted the camel, Elisa got on behind the hump.

One of the Gerudos said, "Do you need us still? Otherwise we will head to the fields, as we are here anyway."

Link shook his head. Zelda was on another camel, and they rode off, leaving the Gerudos behind, at the little camp. The sun, now high in the sky, was scorching. Link felt the back of his neck being sunburned. It didn't matter though, he was free. He was in Hyrule, his homeland. A few leevers popped up, but they didn't attack camels. The journey was going fine.

The reached the Haunted Wastelands as the sun set. They covered their eyes from the perpetual storm, and the camels trudged on, towards Gerudo valley.

"Is Hyrule like this everywhere?" Elisa shouted.

Link shook his head. "Just here."

A couple hours later, the wind died down. A large gate loomed up ahead. They directed the camels through, into Gerudo Valley.

"My father will be glad to see you again Link. I'm sure he'll like you too, Elisa." Zelda said. They left the camels with some Gerudos, and walked to another stable. The Gerudo there brought them to their horses, Link to Epona and Zelda to her white stallion, Angel. Elisa hopped up behind Link. Although Link didn't notice, a strange look crossed Zelda's face here. They all loped off towards Hyrule Castle.

They were all silent for the journey. Zelda stared straight ahead, and Elisa was staring avidly at everything around her. Hyrule had that effect on people; it was truly a land of beauty and diversity. Link was thinking about… everything. Especially being back.

They arrived at Hyrule Town, and rode up to the castle. They tied up their horses, and headed to the main gate. The guards saluted, and let them past, looking distrustfully at Elisa's non-long ears. They walked straight through the entrance hall, and the guard granted them permission to enter the throne room. They stepped inside. Zelda ran up to her father, and they embraced.

"I was worried, I'm glad you made it back! You too, Link! Er… who is this?" The king said.

Zelda cut in. "Former princess of Jarmania, Elisa Gordian. She's here to help us. So much has happened."

The king was looking at Elisa, not very friendly-like. "How do I know we can trust her?" He said.

Link stepped forward. "I'll vouch for her."

"Hmm." The king didn't seem impressed. "Well, Link, what all happened?"

Link explained everything that had happened since he left for the second time, as well as the weaknesses he had discovered about Jarmania. The king listened intently.

"I am sorry to hear all you went through. I suppose you want to rest, Link. Your room in the castle is being prepared." The king said.

Link preferred his house in Kokiri forest, but he was too tired to ride there now. So he nodded.

"As for your friend… I'd really prefer she not be in the castle." He said.

"FATHER!" Zelda shouted.

"We cannot be sure she is trustworthy!" The king said urgently.

"Father, you're being ridiculous. If you don't let her stay, I will leave with her and find somewhere for her. And I won't be back tonight." Zelda said angrily.

Elisa looked embarrassed and hurt. The king sighed. "Very well. A guest room will be prepared."

Link was staring at the king. He had just lost a lot of the respect he'd had for the man. He and Elisa were led out by Zelda, who was avoiding eye contact with her father. They went to Elisa's room first.

"Good night Link. Thanks for everything…" Elisa said. She headed inside. Link thought he saw a scowl on Zelda's face for a second. Then it was gone, and he was led up to the room that king had kept as Link's.

"Sleep well, Link. See you tomorrow." Zelda said. Link nodded, and stepped inside. He took his sword and shield off, placing them down beside his bed. He lied down and fell asleep, armour and all. It had been a busy couple of days.

**AN: That chapter was a bit boring, I know… I couldn't squeeze any action scenes in there. Next chapter, which I think will be the last, will be more exciting. And longer, I hope. Please review.**


	14. Assassin

**AN: I tried to get this out quickly, because I thought my last chapter was boring and I wanted to put this out before I lost people's interest. Obviously I failed. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Review Responses:**

**LinkIsaacANDLloyd: Ok, First, I'm glad you're here with all this info; you really know your stuff. Now I'll list a bunch of my lame excuses for anything inaccurate. As for the army size, I worded that wrong. I meant they had many legions, so what I meant was many armies. Not that each army was big. And thanks for the bit on the type of infantry Romans used; I'll try to be a bit more accurate in the sequel. Just keep feeding me information. I'm not sure if you were referring to the lack of good "Jarmanian" defenses at any point, but I have my excuse. While it may not have been true of Rome, Jarmania's armies are widespread, and they are used to being on the offensive. So they sort of became a little incompetent on the defense. **

**ZombieDragon: Ah, a sugar high. That explains it. Don't worry; it happens to the best of us.**

The next day, a guard knocked on the door of Link's room. "The king wishes to see you." He said, leaving.

Link stood up, and headed out into the hall. He went down a few flights of stairs, and into the main hall. He walked to the throne room door. The guard allowed him to pass. The king was sitting at his throne, but when Link walked in he stood and walked towards him, meeting him in the middle of the hall. They shook hands and Link looked at him questioningly.

"Link… so much has happened to you. I… First, I am sorry. I shouldn't have sent you, it was too dangerous, and you were not trained as a spy." The king said solemnly.

Link smiled, and shrugged. The king seemed genuinely sorry.

"Second, I would like to apologize for how I treated Elisa. I have no real reason to suspect her. Be sure that she knows she is welcome in Hyrule; we will take her as a citizen. We can pay her and give her a place to stay, as an advisor. She will act as an assistant to our new warlord." The king said.

"Warlord?" Link asked.

"Ah. That is the real reason I called you here. I have talked over this war with my more experienced men. They suggested, and I agree, that I am not an experienced fighter. I have decided to appoint a temporary "warlord," who will have equal power to me in all matters relating to the war. If I disagree with a decision this person makes, it is voted on. If the majority supports it, it happens with no say from me. I need someone… trustworthy, with some knowledge of the Jarmanians. I need you." The king said.

Link shook his head. "I cannot lead armies. Trying to keep a small army alive across the field was bad enough. I cannot take this job."

The king nodded. "I thought you would decline, but I had to ask. I may consider the job for Elisa; she knows the most about Jarmanians, although she will need a military advisor. There is another job, and I would really prefer you take it. As you know, Hyrule has a small number of Royal knights, elite fighters. There are a total of fourteen. Three are helping in the capture of the plains. I expect word of that any time now. The others remain in Hyrule. I would like you to lead them. Until I relieve you of this position, you will lead the Royal Knights in hit and runs, ambushes, support of our main armies. You have no direct orders; you are exempt from the chain of command. You do as you see fit, I leave it up to you. Can you do this?"

Link was about to decline, but he though twice. The king sounded serious, he could order Link to. Besides, Link missed the old days, and had considered venturing out on his own, seeing what he could do to help. He could do it with the knights, couldn't he? He didn't like the idea of being responsible for them, but they could basically take care of themselves. He nodded.

"Splendid. You have a week off. I will send for the three knights in the plains. You may do whatever you wish in that time." The king said.

Link nodded, and headed out. He left the castle and went out to Hyrule Field. It was another bright, sunny day. The field was his favourite place in Hyrule, next to the forest. He wandered out, towards the ranch. He hadn't seen Malon in a while, and she would want to know where he had been.

About two hours later he was heading into the ranch. He knocked on the door to the left, the house. Talon opened it up.

"Link! How the hell are ya'? Ain't seen you around lately. Malon's been a bit worried, there were some rumours you were heading to Jarmania. Well, Malon's out with the horses, you just go right on out. You should bring your horse around sometime, Malon loves her." He said.

Link smiled and thanked him, heading out along the path, to the corral. Malon was in the middle of all the horses, talking to them and petting them. She looked up and saw Link at the entrance. Her eyes widened, and she started walking towards him. Link smiled. She smiled back.

"It's great to see you Link! I was worried about you, you haven't been around for the last couple weeks. I heard you had gone to Jarmania. Is that true?" She said, giving him a quick hug.

Link nodded, and told her everything. She could barely believe it. She checked his leg, where he had been shot by the archer. The wound had been healing well, she was glad to see. Link had done the right thing by washing it out, the last thing he had needed was an infection.

"Come on inside, Link. A bit late for breakfast, but we can have an early lunch." Malon said, walking towards the house. Link followed her inside.

Malon started to make a sandwiches.

"Let me." Link said. He burned almost everything, but he could make a sandwich.

Malon gently pushed him away. Talon walked in, and told them both to sit down and talk. He finished making the cold cucco sandwiches and gave them both one, and some milk. They talked as they ate, Malon telling Link about the new horse they got, and everything else that had been happening.

Suddenly Link stiffened. Malon stopped talking, and looked at him curiously. He put a finger to his lips. The mood was suddenly tense, Talon leaning against a wall, eyes darting around the room. Link reached slowly for his sword. He rested his hand on the hilt.

Suddenly there was a deafening crash, and glass shards flew everywhere. Link dove off his chair, drawing his sword and whirling around. A man, dressed in black leather armour and a matching mask had jumped threw the window, and slashed where Link's head had been moments before. He was wielding a katana, but he had several knives and other blades slung around his body. Malon screamed and stepped back. Talon moved in front of her. The intruder ignored them, and strode towards Link. Link slashed at him, but it was blocked, and parried to the side. The man stabbed towards his chest, but Link deflected it with his shield. They circled around, sizing each other up.

It was clearly some sort of assassin. The Jarmanians must have decided not to give up on him that easily. The assassin drew out a knife, and flung it at him. Link rolled to the side, and ran forward. He jumped and brought his sword down, and the assassin stepped to the side. The assassin slashed at him, but Link blocked. Link back flipped, and drew his bow. He fired three arrows straight at the assassin, but each one was batted out of the air with ease. The katana was just a silver blur. Link drew his sword again. Malon and Talon had already escaped out the door, but the assassin had no time for them.

Suddenly the assassin reached behind him, and pulled out a whip. He lashed out, and it wrapped around Link's sword arm. Link yelled out, and wrenched his arm back. The assassin held firm, and tried to reel Link in. Link flicked his hand and tossed his sword to the side, catching it in his right hand. He slashed the whip, and it uncurled, falling to the ground. The assassin tossed it to the side. Link ran forward, and shoved his shield at him. The assassin grabbed his shield, and spun him around flinging him into a wall. Link fell to his knees, and the assassin approached. Link sprung up suddenly, and slashed upwards. He sliced the assassin's left arm, leaving a big gash. The assassin winced but didn't falter. They fought back and forth for a while, slashing and blocking. The assassin unclipped a knife from his belt. This one had two blades, making a "V" shape off the handle. He parried Link's attack, and stabbed with it. Link raised his shield, and the knife pierced it, stopping right near his chest. The shield split, metal and all, and fell apart into three pieces. One of them was attached to Link's arm still, and he unstrapped it from his arm and threw it away.

The assassin danced in, and slashed at him. Link blocked, but the knife came from the side. Link back flipped away, and stepped in with his famous spin attack. The assassin blacked, but his katana was cleaved in two, and he got a gash on his arm. He dropped the broken sword, and backed away. He turned suddenly and bolted out the door, towards the horses.

Link followed, throwing his boomerang. He missed, and the assassin jumped on a dark brown horse. The horse reared up, and galloped towards the exit.

"Angelo!" Malon cried out, coming out of the barn as the horse passed.

Link hopped on another horse, this one with a golden coat. He took off after the assassin, out onto the field. The assassin had been headed north, and Link followed. He gave a little kick, and caught up quickly. The assassin glared at him from behind the mask. He drew level. The assassin drew a short sword. They swung at each other, and the swords clashed. Link pulled away, and drew his hookshot. The assassin never saw it coming. Link fired, and it dug into the assassin's shoulder. Link stopped his horse, an d the assassin was pulled backwards off of his. Link dismounted, and reeled in the hookshot. The assassin was dragged along towards Link. He had dropped his weapon already. As soon as he was close, Link slammed the hilt of his sword against his head, knocking him out. He pulled off the mask. Round ears, definitely a Jarmanian. He got the other horse, than walked back to the one he had taken. He threw the assassin's body over one horse, and led them back up towards the ranch.

Malon had run out, and when she saw him coming ran forward. She hugged each horse, and then Link too, almost as an afterthought.

"Thanks a lot Link." She said.

"Don't thank me. I brought him here." Link said.

Talon had walked down too. "Good show there, Link." He said.

"I have to go. You should probably tie up the assassin, and bring him into Hyrule town on your next milk run." Link said. He also gave Talon a red rupee. "For the damage." He added.

Talon tried to give it back, but Link wouldn't let him. "Goodbye." Link said.

"Bye Link!" Malon said.

"See you 'round, kid. Guess you're not really a kid now, though." Talon said.

Link played Epona's song, and began to walk towards the castle. Epona would meet him; she could hear it from anywhere in Hyrule. Link continued walking, wondering about the fate of Hyrule. He would help all he could, but even with the skilled knights, his group could only do so much damage. There had to be another way. If there was, he would find it.

**AN: Well, that's it. Couldn't think of a better ending, but it's not really an ending, I guess, since there's a sequel. Check it out, not sure what it will be called, so you'll have to find it from my profile. Ok, as much as I wish everything I did was my idea, I have to give out some credit.**

**Update: The sequel's up, go find it! It's called "days of war," I couldn't think of something more creative**

**Runic Tunic and LinkIsaacANDLloyd both suggested the idea for a princess helping Link. At least, I think they suggested a princess… it was someone like that. Runic Tunic also suggested having someone watching the matches and judging them, who became the gamesmaster. And the royal knights were an idea from LinkIsaacANDLloyd, although if he had it his way I bet they would be called "wtfpwnageuberelite" knights. He also suggested wrangling up the survivors, although I had sort of planned that already. I think that's it, sorry if I left someone out… **

**Please leave a review, the final one of the story…**


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